2013

Francis Connors

Class of 1916

Francis Pete Connors played football, basketball, and baseball as a student at Stonington High School, and later coached football and baseball at SHS. He lettered in football, as a starting linesman, and baseball, as the starting catcher, for three years each, and was a member of SHS’s first Eastern Connecticut Conference titles, with the football team in 1914 and the baseball team in 1915. He served as head football coach for the 1923 and 1924 seasons.

A veteran of the United States Navy, he served in World War I. A graduate of the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in 1920, he owned and operated Connors Drug Store on Main Street in Stonington for 40 years. Mr. Connors was involved in numerous civic organizations, including serving two terms as state representative, five terms as warden and burgess in Stonington Borough, and was appointed judge and prosecutor at the Stonington Town Court, and held office at the Stonington Community Center, the Eastern Connecticut Druggists Association, the Knights of Columbus, the Stonington Ambulance Corps, and the American Legion. He was an honorary member of all three fire companies in Stonington, and was a president of the SHS Alumni Association. Mr. Connors assisted many immigrants to Stonington in gaining their citizenship. He was a recipient of the American Druggist Magazine Award for Outstanding Community Service.

Vernon Hauschild

Class of 1939

Vernon Hauschild was a member of the football and track teams at Stonington High School. As a member of the track team, he regularly placed in the high jump, hurdles, and relay team events, and the Bears were undefeated for three years in dual meet competition; he was team captain in his senior year. SHS won the Eastern Connecticut Conference championship in track in 1937; they were Connecticut Class B champions in 1936, 1937, and 1939, and were runners-up in 1938. SHS also won the 1938 Rhode Island Class B meet. He set the ECC record in the 120-yard low hurdles in 1939, and at the state meet that year, he won the 220-yard low hurdles, high jump, and ran the third leg for the champion 800-yard relay team. At the 1939 University of Connecticut relays, he was a member of the record-setting 440-yard relay team as SHS took the team title.

After graduation, he attended the Admiral Billard Academy, and then the United States Coast Guard Academy, graduating in 1944. A veteran of World War II, he achieved the rank of lieutenant and received numerous medals. He began a career at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in 1946, and later earned a degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He worked for many years as a patent and trademark attorney for United Technologies. He was active in his church and community, volunteering with the Boy Scouts and officiating high school and college track meets.

Carl Kieburg

Class of 1943

Carl Kieburg played football and baseball at Stonington High School. As a senior on the football team, he earned All-Eastern Connecticut Conference and All-State honors as an end, and was also the team's placekicker. He was one of four SHS players to be named First Team All-State, the only time in school history that four players earned that distinction. The Bears won the ECC title with an undefeated record and finished with a 9-1-1 record overall, including two wins over Westerly, and finished the season ranked second in Connecticut. As a member of the baseball team, he was the starting catcher in his junior and senior seasons.

He joined the Navy following graduation, and spent World War II stationed in the Aleutian Islands working as a mechanic. He later worked as a mechanic and flight instructor, and was the director of several local airports.

Timothy Sisk

Class of 1967

Timothy Sisk played basketball and golf at Stonington High School. Golf returned as a varsity sport 1965 after a long hiatus, and during his three seasons, the golf team won Eastern Connecticut Conference titles in 1965, 1966, and 1967, amassing a 33-1 record; they also won the Connecticut Class B championship in 1966. He earned All-ECC honors as a junior and senior.

He earned two varsity letters in golf at Northern Michigan University, and later earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Central Connecticut State University. He was an educator in North Stonington for 34 years, and started the golf program at Wheeler High School, coaching the team for 30 years. He also coached the Wheeler varsity basketball team for seven years.

Still active in golf, among his accomplishments have been a record eight club championships at Elm Ridge Golf Course in Pawcatuck, and was runner-up several times. He has also been a finalist at Shennecossett Golf Course three times.

Jeff Woodworth

Class of 1985

Jeff Woodworth participated in soccer, basketball, and baseball at Stonington High School, earning nine varsity letters. As a senior he was captain of both the soccer and basketball teams and was awarded the Tuite Cup as the most accomplished male athlete in the graduating class. He was a member of the National Honor Society and vice-president of the Class of 1985.

As a member of the soccer team, he was a four-year varsity starter, earning All-Eastern Connecticut Conference and All-Area honors as a junior and senior, and was named first team All-State a senior. As a member of the basketball team, he started as a junior and senior, and was named MVP of the first Westerly Community Credit Union Holiday Basketball Tournament in 1984. He also started for the varsity baseball team for two years.

He continued his soccer career at St. Michael’s College in Vermont, where he was a four-year starter. He is one of only two players in school history to start for four winning seasons, and during his sophomore year, St. Michael's posted a 13-3-1 record, the best in school history.

He holds a Master’s in Social Work from Boston College and is a team leader at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center. He continues to be active in soccer, coaching in Westwood as part of the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association.

Jaclyn Kupka

Class of 1995

Jaclyn Kupka lettered in field hockey, basketball, and softball at Stonington High School. As a member of the field hockey team, she played on three Eastern Connecticut Conference champion teams. As a catcher for the softball team, she was named All-ECC and All-Area three times, and was a two-time Class M All-State selection. She caught numerous no hitters and one perfect game. For her career, she batted .343, with 61 runs scored, 65 runs batted in, 18 doubles, six triples, and six home runs. The Bears won the Class M State Championship in 1995 and were runners-up in 1993 and 1994. She was a team captain in her senior year and was selected to play in the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Senior All-Star softball game in 1995.

She attended the University of New Haven, where she earned All-New England Collegiate Conference and All-Region honors in 1997. She broke the career home run record while she was there in just three years, and was team captain in her senior year.

George Crouse

Class of 1999

George Crouse participated in basketball and tennis at Stonington High School, and was awarded the Tuite Cup as the top male athlete in the senior class. He was co-captain of the basketball team in his senior year. As a member of the tennis team, he played at number one singles for four years, amassing 52 wins. He earned All-Eastern Connecticut Conference status all four years; All-Area as a sophomore, junior, and senior; All-State as a junior and senior; and All-New England as a senior. He was a two-time ECC tournament semi-finalist and a two-time finalist, and in 1999 was a finalist in the State Open and a semi-finalist in the New England Open. The Bears won the ECC championship three times during his four-year career at SHS.

He attended Fairfield University, where he played number one singles on the tennis team, and is still active in tennis as a player and coach. He was named the 2010 New Jersey USTA Tournament Director of the Year, and is the head professional at the Moorestown Tennis Club.

Rebecca Alfonso

Class of 2000

Rebecca Alfonso participated in field hockey, basketball, and softball at Stonington High School, earning ten varsity letters. She served as captain and earned first team All-Eastern Connecticut Conference honors in each sport as a senior and was awarded the Athletic Achievement Cup as the top female athlete in the Class of 2000.

As a member of the field hockey team, she was part of three ECC championships, and led the team in scoring as a junior and senior, earning honorable mention All-ECC honors as a junior and first team as a senior. She was also named to the All-State second team in her senior year. As a member of the basketball team, she was captain in both her junior and senior seasons, and led the team in scoring both years, earning honorable mention All-ECC as a junior and first team as a senior. She earned first team All-ECC honors in softball as a senior.

She played field hockey at Eastern Connecticut State University, and is a physical education and health teacher at Montville High School.

Mark Brissette

Class of 2002

Mark Brissette is one of Stonington High School's most accomplished runners, earning numerous awards in Cross Country, Indoor Track, and Outdoor Track. He also played baseball for two years.

As a member of the Cross Country team, he won the Eastern Connecticut Conference and Connecticut Class SS titles, and placed third at the State Open in 2000. He also earned All-New England status that year and placed 11th in the Footlocker Northeast Regional race. The Bears were Class SS runners-up in 2000 and won the Connecticut Class M title in 2001. As a member of the Indoor Track team, he earned All-ECC honors in 2000, 2001, and 2002, and All-State recognition in 2001 and 2002. As a member of the Outdoor Track team, he earned All-ECC status in the 1600m, 3200m, and 4x800m relay as a junior, and in the 1600m and 3200m as a senior, and earned All-State by winning 1600m at the Class M meet in 2002.

He was the Wendy’s Heisman Award winner for Connecticut in 2002, when he was also named a Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete. He was the valedictorian of the Class of 2002 and served as editor-in-chief of the Pawmystonian. He continued his running career at Dartmouth College, where he was a four-year member of the Cross Country, Indoor Track, and Outdoor Track teams and earned a degree in Engineering Sciences. Still active in running, he qualified for and ran the 2012 Boston Marathon.

Robert Mitchell

Coach

Robert Mitchell coached varsity football for five seasons at Stonington High School, and led the Bears to the 1991 Class SS State Championship. During his tenure, the Bears had a 30-17-3 overall record, including four wins and a tie in Thanksgiving Day games with Westerly High School. In 1991, the Bears had a 10-2 overall record, and defeated Sacred Heart 14-0 in the state championship game. He was named the 1991 Eastern Connecticut Conference Coach of the Year.

An accomplished athlete at Westerly High School and the University of Rhode Island, he is a long-time educator who has worked at Chariho High School, Westerly High School, and Stonington High School in a variety of roles. He was named the 2006 Rhode Island Principal of the Year while at Chariho. He is currently the assistant superintendent of schools in Cumberland, Rhode Island. He is also a member of the Westerly High School Athletic Hall of Fame.