LIFE

There’s something soothing about the companionship of a well-trained dog. That’s one of many reasons why Principal Cara Quinn would like to add a trained therapy dog to the West Hill School staff. She had one on hand the evening of April 28 during the annual book fair and children flocked to pet it and make friends.

A career playing the clarinet was born all because his music teacher said he didn’t have any rhythm. That’s how former Rocky Hill resident Giancarlo Bazzano starts his story that carried him across the ocean from Italy to playing with the U.S. Navy Band.

Many people have prescriptions medications that they no longer use filling up their medicine cabinets. Throwing them in the trash or flushing them down the toilet can have a negative environmental impact. There is a safer way to dispose of these medicines.

Rocky Hill started as an agricultural community dating back to the first settlers in 1650. That tradition continues today at Gilbert Farm, Hayes Farm and Fair Market Growers. Lisa Gilbert of Gilbert Farm “first got her hands dirty” in 1977, just as her great-great grandfather Elisha Gilbert did in 1845.

The school has an active career center that offers a multitude of resources including the opportunity for students to conduct online video chats and practice job interviews with business professionals. There are also opportunities for them to go on road trips to different types of businesses to learn first-hand how they operate and the jobs they have to offer.

The concept is that everyone should be able to participate in general society. That includes those who are on the autism spectrum. That’s why the town Human, Youth and Social Services Department, in partnership with the East Hartford-based nonprofit Shine Your Light, held an Inclusivity Event the evening of Feb. 9 at the community/senior center.

One of the many interesting things about Rocky Hill is its relationship to the Connecticut River. In addition to our proud seafaring history, we are the home of the Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry, the oldest ferry in America, and for many years had a booming fishing industry. The Hale family has been prominent in all these areas.

Firefighters don’t just extinguish fires. They provide emergency medical aid, rescue people from burning buildings, extricate people trapped in crashed cars and trucks, and other scenarios, and much more.