James Connell
Teaching was a tradition in the Connell family. James Connell's mother graduated from Lebanon High School in New Hampshire. The following year she accepted a teaching position. Jim's eldest brother was in the same profession for more than forty years. It would seem almost pre-ordained that Jim follow in their footsteps.
Moving south to the Nutmeg State, Jim joined the Boy Scouts, where he attained Star Scout ranking and later became a troop committeeman. He attended New Haven's Dante School, Columbus School and Hillhouse High School, where he graduated in 1948.
Having joined the Connecticut National Guard, Jim found his unit federalized in 1950. His tank company, assigned to the 102nd Infantry Regiment, trained in California, North Carolina and Virginia before shipping out to Germany. After eight months Jim and a few others in his outfit had enough points to be released from active service and return home.
In February 1954, Jim enrolled at New Haven State Teachers College, now Southern Connecticut State University. Now married to his wife Claire, he attended classes during the day and worked at night, twelve months a year for three and a half years to earn his Bachelor of Science Degree. In 1957, Jim began his career teaching fifth and sixth grades at Short Beach School. During his stint there he coached the boys to their first ever basketball trophies. Three years late, colleague Joanne Donadio started LAPS (Learning Activity Packages), which was taking the texts from various books and forming their own curriculum, allowing students to receive a broader view of the courses. Jim called it "the multiple text approach". He also had been attending school for five years in pursuit of a Master’s Degree, which was awarded to him in 1962. Jim found time to coach Buddy League baseball for two years and take courses through the Red Cross to become qualified in First Aid, which he incorporated into his science courses.
As a member of the Branford Bluefish Skin/SCUBA Club, Jim joined the others for a swim on New Year's Day. One year he and Bob Rose came up with the idea of topping off the summer with a swimming meet for kids. Catherine Laich Shockley, who was an accomplished and well-known swimmer, agreed to the meet being named in her honor. Jim, earlier this year, chaired the forty-fifth Shockley Swim Meet.
Jim transferred to Branford Intermediate School, which was renamed Walsh Intermediate School, where he continued to teach chemistry, physics, health, genetics and earth science and topography, where he introduced GPS (Global Positioning System). Jim experimented with different ways to enlighten students regarding weather, setting up a sys tem on the campus to measure rain, snow, temperature, humidity and wind chill factor.
Jim was a charter member of the Shoreline Credit Union and an officer for twenty-five years before it merged with and became a part of the United Shoreline Federal Credit Union, a recipient of the Joe Trapasso Award for his contribution to the Branford Stingray Swimming Club, a fifty-one year member of American Legion Post 83, (forty-four of those years as Finance Officer, a term as Commander and twice named Legionnaire of the Year.) Jim has also been a member of the Branford Yacht Club for thirty-six years, serving as Commodore in 1984 and Secretary for the past twenty years.
Jim retired from teaching in 1998, but stays active with a number of projects in and around Branford. In addition to his wife Claire, Jim has three sons, Robert, John and Brian and several grandchildren.
Moving south to the Nutmeg State, Jim joined the Boy Scouts, where he attained Star Scout ranking and later became a troop committeeman. He attended New Haven's Dante School, Columbus School and Hillhouse High School, where he graduated in 1948.
Having joined the Connecticut National Guard, Jim found his unit federalized in 1950. His tank company, assigned to the 102nd Infantry Regiment, trained in California, North Carolina and Virginia before shipping out to Germany. After eight months Jim and a few others in his outfit had enough points to be released from active service and return home.
In February 1954, Jim enrolled at New Haven State Teachers College, now Southern Connecticut State University. Now married to his wife Claire, he attended classes during the day and worked at night, twelve months a year for three and a half years to earn his Bachelor of Science Degree. In 1957, Jim began his career teaching fifth and sixth grades at Short Beach School. During his stint there he coached the boys to their first ever basketball trophies. Three years late, colleague Joanne Donadio started LAPS (Learning Activity Packages), which was taking the texts from various books and forming their own curriculum, allowing students to receive a broader view of the courses. Jim called it "the multiple text approach". He also had been attending school for five years in pursuit of a Master’s Degree, which was awarded to him in 1962. Jim found time to coach Buddy League baseball for two years and take courses through the Red Cross to become qualified in First Aid, which he incorporated into his science courses.
As a member of the Branford Bluefish Skin/SCUBA Club, Jim joined the others for a swim on New Year's Day. One year he and Bob Rose came up with the idea of topping off the summer with a swimming meet for kids. Catherine Laich Shockley, who was an accomplished and well-known swimmer, agreed to the meet being named in her honor. Jim, earlier this year, chaired the forty-fifth Shockley Swim Meet.
Jim transferred to Branford Intermediate School, which was renamed Walsh Intermediate School, where he continued to teach chemistry, physics, health, genetics and earth science and topography, where he introduced GPS (Global Positioning System). Jim experimented with different ways to enlighten students regarding weather, setting up a sys tem on the campus to measure rain, snow, temperature, humidity and wind chill factor.
Jim was a charter member of the Shoreline Credit Union and an officer for twenty-five years before it merged with and became a part of the United Shoreline Federal Credit Union, a recipient of the Joe Trapasso Award for his contribution to the Branford Stingray Swimming Club, a fifty-one year member of American Legion Post 83, (forty-four of those years as Finance Officer, a term as Commander and twice named Legionnaire of the Year.) Jim has also been a member of the Branford Yacht Club for thirty-six years, serving as Commodore in 1984 and Secretary for the past twenty years.
Jim retired from teaching in 1998, but stays active with a number of projects in and around Branford. In addition to his wife Claire, Jim has three sons, Robert, John and Brian and several grandchildren.