Latest news with #Newington
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
CT city awarded $450K+ for a new, inclusive playground for children with disabilities
Newington has been awarded a $485,000 grant to build a new, inclusive playground at Candlewyck Park, town officials said. The town project, announced by Gov. Ned Lamont on Friday, is part of a $30 million package distributed to 46 small towns across Connecticut for capital improvement projects focused on infrastructure, community development and quality-of-life upgrades. The Candlewyck Park project will be matched by $121,365 in local funding, bringing the total project cost to $606,976, officials said. The grants are all part of the state's Small Town Economic Assistance Program. 'We are incredibly grateful to Governor Lamont and his staff for their support for this important infrastructure project,' said Newington Mayor Jon Trister. 'This grant will help establish a state-of-the-art playground and play space for the residents of the Candlewyck neighborhood. We are thrilled with this announcement.' The new playground will feature accessible play elements for all children, regardless of ability. Officials said the project also supports the town's long-term commitment to neighborhood revitalization and inclusive park access throughout Newington. 'The Newington Parks and Recreation Department happily announces that Governor Lamont and the State Legislature have awarded the town of Newington this critical funding to replace the outdated playground equipment in the Lamplighter Lane area,' said Don Woods, chair of the town's parks and recreation board. 'This grant allows us to move forward with the second and final stage of renovations at Candlewyck Park.' The Candlewyck Park project builds upon the town's ongoing work to enhance parks town wide. In recent years, the town has completed major renovations at Mill Pond Park Playground, Churchill Park Playground, Clem Lemire Playground, Beacon Park Playground, Beechwood Park Playground, Eagle Park Playground, and Seymour Park Playground. For additional information on the Candlewyck Park inclusive playground or other ongoing projects, contact the Newington Parks and Recreation Department at 860-665-8666 or visit
The Advertiser
7 days ago
- General
- The Advertiser
'Youth' spat paves way for elite school's co-ed plans
Turning an elite private boys' school co-educational remains on foot after a court agreed a word written in a 150-year-old document was gender-neutral. Newington College in Sydney's inner west announced its intention to shift to co-education across its kindergarten-to-year 12 program in late 2023. The school, which charges fees of up to $42,200 a year, has exclusively taught boys since it was founded in 1863. While a group of parents launched street protests in January 2024, some backed a legal attack in the NSW Supreme Court. That lawsuit hit a major defeat on Wednesday with Justice Guy Parker ruling that the school's 152-year-old trust deed did not prevent girls from being admitted. "The object of such school shall be to provide an efficient course of education for youth," the trust deed reads. The parents argued that the word "youth" in this document, while ambiguous, referred solely to boys because of circumstances at the time. This stopped girls from being enrolled on the school's Stanmore land which it had acquired in 1873 months after the deed was finalised. The school's council, on the other hand, said the term was gender-neutral. Justice Parker agreed. While the original Newington School was boys-only, and the church and government at the time had only considered single-sex schools, this did not mean the term "youth" excluded girls, he said. "I have concluded that the word 'youth' in the 1873 Trust Deed was used in a gender-neutral sense, and does not mandate male-only enrolment at the College," he wrote in his judgment. "The claim for a declaration to the contrary ... fails and must be dismissed." Newington's principal welcomed the court's decision. "We have been steadfast in our position throughout these proceedings and we remain excited to build on our rich history and traditions by taking Newington into our next era," Michael Parker wrote in a letter sent to the school's community. "We look forward now to uniting around our future vision for Newington College as a respected, modern and dynamic school for boys, girls, young men and young women from next year and into the future." The court case may not be over yet, however. Justice Parker will later hear whether the parents will press claims that a male-only limitation applies to other property held by the school's council, including later-acquired lands. Newington's co-ed plans come as the NSW government adjusts public school boundaries to ensure all students have guaranteed access to a co-educational school by 2027. More than 150,000 girls and more than 130,000 boys attend single-sex schools across Australia, according to a 2023 Catholic schools discussion paper. About five-in-six of those students are in non-government schools, like Newington. Turning an elite private boys' school co-educational remains on foot after a court agreed a word written in a 150-year-old document was gender-neutral. Newington College in Sydney's inner west announced its intention to shift to co-education across its kindergarten-to-year 12 program in late 2023. The school, which charges fees of up to $42,200 a year, has exclusively taught boys since it was founded in 1863. While a group of parents launched street protests in January 2024, some backed a legal attack in the NSW Supreme Court. That lawsuit hit a major defeat on Wednesday with Justice Guy Parker ruling that the school's 152-year-old trust deed did not prevent girls from being admitted. "The object of such school shall be to provide an efficient course of education for youth," the trust deed reads. The parents argued that the word "youth" in this document, while ambiguous, referred solely to boys because of circumstances at the time. This stopped girls from being enrolled on the school's Stanmore land which it had acquired in 1873 months after the deed was finalised. The school's council, on the other hand, said the term was gender-neutral. Justice Parker agreed. While the original Newington School was boys-only, and the church and government at the time had only considered single-sex schools, this did not mean the term "youth" excluded girls, he said. "I have concluded that the word 'youth' in the 1873 Trust Deed was used in a gender-neutral sense, and does not mandate male-only enrolment at the College," he wrote in his judgment. "The claim for a declaration to the contrary ... fails and must be dismissed." Newington's principal welcomed the court's decision. "We have been steadfast in our position throughout these proceedings and we remain excited to build on our rich history and traditions by taking Newington into our next era," Michael Parker wrote in a letter sent to the school's community. "We look forward now to uniting around our future vision for Newington College as a respected, modern and dynamic school for boys, girls, young men and young women from next year and into the future." The court case may not be over yet, however. Justice Parker will later hear whether the parents will press claims that a male-only limitation applies to other property held by the school's council, including later-acquired lands. Newington's co-ed plans come as the NSW government adjusts public school boundaries to ensure all students have guaranteed access to a co-educational school by 2027. More than 150,000 girls and more than 130,000 boys attend single-sex schools across Australia, according to a 2023 Catholic schools discussion paper. About five-in-six of those students are in non-government schools, like Newington. Turning an elite private boys' school co-educational remains on foot after a court agreed a word written in a 150-year-old document was gender-neutral. Newington College in Sydney's inner west announced its intention to shift to co-education across its kindergarten-to-year 12 program in late 2023. The school, which charges fees of up to $42,200 a year, has exclusively taught boys since it was founded in 1863. While a group of parents launched street protests in January 2024, some backed a legal attack in the NSW Supreme Court. That lawsuit hit a major defeat on Wednesday with Justice Guy Parker ruling that the school's 152-year-old trust deed did not prevent girls from being admitted. "The object of such school shall be to provide an efficient course of education for youth," the trust deed reads. The parents argued that the word "youth" in this document, while ambiguous, referred solely to boys because of circumstances at the time. This stopped girls from being enrolled on the school's Stanmore land which it had acquired in 1873 months after the deed was finalised. The school's council, on the other hand, said the term was gender-neutral. Justice Parker agreed. While the original Newington School was boys-only, and the church and government at the time had only considered single-sex schools, this did not mean the term "youth" excluded girls, he said. "I have concluded that the word 'youth' in the 1873 Trust Deed was used in a gender-neutral sense, and does not mandate male-only enrolment at the College," he wrote in his judgment. "The claim for a declaration to the contrary ... fails and must be dismissed." Newington's principal welcomed the court's decision. "We have been steadfast in our position throughout these proceedings and we remain excited to build on our rich history and traditions by taking Newington into our next era," Michael Parker wrote in a letter sent to the school's community. "We look forward now to uniting around our future vision for Newington College as a respected, modern and dynamic school for boys, girls, young men and young women from next year and into the future." The court case may not be over yet, however. Justice Parker will later hear whether the parents will press claims that a male-only limitation applies to other property held by the school's council, including later-acquired lands. Newington's co-ed plans come as the NSW government adjusts public school boundaries to ensure all students have guaranteed access to a co-educational school by 2027. More than 150,000 girls and more than 130,000 boys attend single-sex schools across Australia, according to a 2023 Catholic schools discussion paper. About five-in-six of those students are in non-government schools, like Newington. Turning an elite private boys' school co-educational remains on foot after a court agreed a word written in a 150-year-old document was gender-neutral. Newington College in Sydney's inner west announced its intention to shift to co-education across its kindergarten-to-year 12 program in late 2023. The school, which charges fees of up to $42,200 a year, has exclusively taught boys since it was founded in 1863. While a group of parents launched street protests in January 2024, some backed a legal attack in the NSW Supreme Court. That lawsuit hit a major defeat on Wednesday with Justice Guy Parker ruling that the school's 152-year-old trust deed did not prevent girls from being admitted. "The object of such school shall be to provide an efficient course of education for youth," the trust deed reads. The parents argued that the word "youth" in this document, while ambiguous, referred solely to boys because of circumstances at the time. This stopped girls from being enrolled on the school's Stanmore land which it had acquired in 1873 months after the deed was finalised. The school's council, on the other hand, said the term was gender-neutral. Justice Parker agreed. While the original Newington School was boys-only, and the church and government at the time had only considered single-sex schools, this did not mean the term "youth" excluded girls, he said. "I have concluded that the word 'youth' in the 1873 Trust Deed was used in a gender-neutral sense, and does not mandate male-only enrolment at the College," he wrote in his judgment. "The claim for a declaration to the contrary ... fails and must be dismissed." Newington's principal welcomed the court's decision. "We have been steadfast in our position throughout these proceedings and we remain excited to build on our rich history and traditions by taking Newington into our next era," Michael Parker wrote in a letter sent to the school's community. "We look forward now to uniting around our future vision for Newington College as a respected, modern and dynamic school for boys, girls, young men and young women from next year and into the future." The court case may not be over yet, however. Justice Parker will later hear whether the parents will press claims that a male-only limitation applies to other property held by the school's council, including later-acquired lands. Newington's co-ed plans come as the NSW government adjusts public school boundaries to ensure all students have guaranteed access to a co-educational school by 2027. More than 150,000 girls and more than 130,000 boys attend single-sex schools across Australia, according to a 2023 Catholic schools discussion paper. About five-in-six of those students are in non-government schools, like Newington.
Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Student loses court bid to stop Newington becoming co-ed
Lawyers clashed over the definition; Noel Hutley, SC, acting for Newington, argued the 1873 meaning of youth was a collective noun for young men and women. 'The ordinary meaning of youth as a collective is gender-neutral,' Hutley said. He submitted that the Oxford English Dictionary pointed to youth having a non-gendered meaning, and that was constant in all dictionaries from 1848 through to today. Michael Izzo, SC, acting for opponents of coed, said at the hearing earlier this month that 'there is at least one possibility that 'youth' when used in particular context is being used to refer to men alone'. Izzo cited a Barclay's 1848 dictionary containing a definition of youth as being 'the part of life which is between childhood and manhood', from adolescence to young man. Solicitors for the co-ed opponents commissioned a report from lexicographer and historian Amanda Laugesen, who is the director of the Australian National Dictionary Centre at ANU. Laugesen conducted extensive research into the meaning of the term 'youth', and about 500 historical newspaper articles in the report were provisionally admitted into evidence. The boy who launched proceedings – known as student A – cannot be identified, after he obtained a non-publication order based upon a psychiatrist's report that said he could be bullied or shunned if his identity were to become known. The 162-year-old college plans to admit girls in the junior school from next year and become fully co-ed by 2033. The decision sparked fierce backlash and protests from parents and alumni of the $45,000-a-year school, who have spent months lobbying to have the move overturned. Loading In his judgment, Parker wrote that he was presented with extensive extracts from dictionaries for guidance on the meaning of some terms in the deed and the word youth. Definitions from historical dictionaries including Barclay's, Webster's, Chambers's Etymological Dictionary, The Imperial Dictionary and A Dictionary of Law were in evidence. 'The attempt by counsel for student A to explain away the gender-neutral language of the deed by saying that everyone would simply have assumed that the pupils would all be boys or young men was, I thought, unconvincing,' Parker wrote. 'In my opinion the meaning of the term youth in [clause three] of the deed is unambiguous.' In a letter to parents on Wednesday afternoon, college principal Michael Parker said he welcomed the court's decision affirming the move to co-education. 'We have been steadfast in our position throughout these proceedings, and we remain excited to build on our rich history and traditions by taking Newington into our next era,' Parker said. 'We are optimistic that today's determination will now pave the way for our community to move forward together.' The student's civil suit was supported and funded by the Save Newington College group, a coalition of old boys and parents opposed to the co-ed move. In a statement, Save Newington said the group was disappointed by the court's decision. Former student and Save Newington spokesman Ian Webster said there 'will be detailed consideration of the reasons behind the judgment before any further decisions are made'. Webster said an appeal had not been ruled out. 'Today's decision, while respected, is at odds with the understanding held by generations of old boys, parents, staff, and community members – that Newington was founded, funded and entrusted as a school for boys,' the Save Newington statement said. The group said the case highlighted the 'many risks and pitfalls that will be encountered' by moving to a co-ed model. The group said risks remain about the 'future academic and financial performance of the school and continuation of its GPS traditions'. 'Particular challenges around … anticipated pushback from surrounding all-girls schools and retreat by former supporters of the Newington Foundation have not been addressed.' In late 2023, some members of the Newington Founders Society indicated they would be withdrawing their bequests to the school. Newington was founded in 1863 due to a growing view in the Wesleyan Methodist Church that a secondary school was needed in Sydney. The college opened in Silverwater, then moved to Stanmore in 1880.
7NEWS
7 days ago
- General
- 7NEWS
'Youth' spat paves way for Newington College's co-ed plans
Turning an elite private boys' school co-educational remains on foot after a court agreed a word written in a 150-year-old document was gender-neutral. Newington College in Sydney 's inner west announced its intention to shift to co-education across its kindergarten-to-year 12 program in late 2023. The school, which charges fees of up to $42,200 a year, has exclusively taught boys since it was founded in 1863. While a group of parents launched street protests in January 2024, some backed a legal attack in the NSW Supreme Court. That lawsuit hit a major defeat on Wednesday with Justice Guy Parker ruling that the school's 152-year-old trust deed did not prevent girls from being admitted. 'The object of such school shall be to provide an efficient course of education for youth,' the trust deed reads. The parents argued that the word 'youth' in this document, while ambiguous, referred solely to boys because of circumstances at the time. This stopped girls from being enrolled on the school's Stanmore land which it had acquired in 1873 months after the deed was finalised. The school's council, on the other hand, said the term was gender-neutral. Justice Parker agreed. While the original Newington School was boys-only, and the church and government at the time had only considered single-sex schools, this did not mean the term 'youth' excluded girls, he said. 'I have concluded that the word 'youth' in the 1873 Trust Deed was used in a gender-neutral sense, and does not mandate male-only enrolment at the College,' he wrote in his judgment. 'The claim for a declaration to the contrary ... fails and must be dismissed.' 'Rich history' and 'next era' Newington's principal welcomed the court's decision. 'We have been steadfast in our position throughout these proceedings and we remain excited to build on our rich history and traditions by taking Newington into our next era,' Michael Parker wrote in a letter sent to the school's community. 'We look forward now to uniting around our future vision for Newington College as a respected, modern and dynamic school for boys, girls, young men and young women from next year and into the future.' The court case may not be over yet, however. Justice Parker will later hear whether the parents will press claims that a male-only limitation applies to other property held by the school's council, including later-acquired lands. Newington's co-ed plans come as the NSW government adjusts public school boundaries to ensure all students have guaranteed access to a co-educational school by 2027. More than 150,000 girls and more than 130,000 boys attend single-sex schools across Australia, according to a 2023 Catholic schools discussion paper. About five-in-six of those students are in non-government schools, like Newington.
West Australian
7 days ago
- General
- West Australian
'Youth' spat paves way for elite school's co-ed plans
Turning an elite private boys' school co-educational remains on foot after a court agreed a word written in a 150-year-old document was gender-neutral. Newington College in Sydney's inner west announced its intention to shift to co-education across its kindergarten-to-year 12 program in late 2023. The school, which charges fees of up to $42,200 a year, has exclusively taught boys since it was founded in 1863. While a group of parents launched street protests in January 2024, some backed a legal attack in the NSW Supreme Court. That lawsuit hit a major defeat on Wednesday with Justice Guy Parker ruling that the school's 152-year-old trust deed did not prevent girls from being admitted. "The object of such school shall be to provide an efficient course of education for youth," the trust deed reads. The parents argued that the word "youth" in this document, while ambiguous, referred solely to boys because of circumstances at the time. This stopped girls from being enrolled on the school's Stanmore land which it had acquired in 1873 months after the deed was finalised. The school's council, on the other hand, said the term was gender-neutral. Justice Parker agreed. While the original Newington School was boys-only, and the church and government at the time had only considered single-sex schools, this did not mean the term "youth" excluded girls, he said. "I have concluded that the word 'youth' in the 1873 Trust Deed was used in a gender-neutral sense, and does not mandate male-only enrolment at the College," he wrote in his judgment. "The claim for a declaration to the contrary ... fails and must be dismissed." Newington's principal welcomed the court's decision. "We have been steadfast in our position throughout these proceedings and we remain excited to build on our rich history and traditions by taking Newington into our next era," Michael Parker wrote in a letter sent to the school's community. "We look forward now to uniting around our future vision for Newington College as a respected, modern and dynamic school for boys, girls, young men and young women from next year and into the future." The court case may not be over yet, however. Justice Parker will later hear whether the parents will press claims that a male-only limitation applies to other property held by the school's council, including later-acquired lands. Newington's co-ed plans come as the NSW government adjusts public school boundaries to ensure all students have guaranteed access to a co-educational school by 2027. More than 150,000 girls and more than 130,000 boys attend single-sex schools across Australia, according to a 2023 Catholic schools discussion paper. About five-in-six of those students are in non-government schools, like Newington.
