On Tuesday, May 15th, State Representative Tim Ackert met with students from G.H. Robertson Intermediate School while they were touring the State Capitol in Hartford.

During the school’s visit of the Capitol building, State Rep. Ackert met with students, parents and educators outside of the House of Representatives Chamber Room where he spoke about the legislative process and took questions from the students about State Government.

If you, your school group or organization would like a tour of the State Capitol, group reservations can be made by calling (860) 240-0222 weekdays 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Student groups must be 3rd Grade or above.

On Tuesday, May 14th, State Rep. Tim Ackert awarded 15 year-old Troy Schenher with an Official Citation from the General Assembly honoring his heroic, life-saving actions. Troy was awarded the Boy Scout Court of Honor for saving his brothers life during a hiking accident in Alaska.

While hiking on a glacier in Alaska, Troy realized his older brother Kurt had fallen into a crevasse hidden by a snow bridge. Upon investigating, Troy had discovered that his brother had fallen approximately 30 feet, was injured and unable to move.

Knowing his brother was hurt, Troy ran 1 mile to a parking area where people were congregating. Troy used a satellite phone to contact the Valdez Alaska Fire Department. He directed them to the exact location of the emergency and gave them details of the condition of his brother.

Once the ice rescue team was assembled, Troy gave them precise directions to the accident location via 2 way radio while observing their progress with a telescope while simultaneously comforting his grandmother. Kurt was extricated after 5 1/2 hours surrounded by ice. Once on the surface, Kurt had no pulse so CPR was performed. After 5 minutes his eyes opened and was responsive. He was in a severe state of hypothermia and he was taken to Providence Hospital in Valdez for treatment. He was then transported to Providence Hospital lCU in Anchorage for advanced treatment. After 2 weeks of hospitalization he was discharged and soon thereafter flew home to Connecticut where he is receiving follow up care.

The Fire Department said if Troy hadn’t acted so quickly and decisively, they would have been conducting a recovery rather than a rescue. Scout training was invaluable in this episode, he kept calm, he immediately went for help, did not attempt a rescue himself thus becoming a victim, too.

Both Troy and Kurt were prepared for the hike on Worthington Glacier, having a backpack with food and water, proper footwear and a jacket. Troy too was prepared with his spotting telescope that allowed him to see the rescue team where his brother was trapped to ensure they were directed to the exact location.

On May 16th, State Rep. Tim Ackert joined teachers, students and very proud parents at Rentschler Field in East Hartford for an awards ceremony honoring the student winners of the 2013 CHET Dream Big! Competition.

From January 22nd through March 22nd, Connecticut students competed in the 2013 CHET Dream Big! Competition, a drawing and essay contest for students in Kindergarten through fifth grade.

From Left to Right: Jack Poland (4th Grade – G.H. Robertson), Lilith Griswold (4th Grade – G.H. Robertson), State Rep. Tim Ackert and Sarah Ney (K – Oak Grove Montessori).

“Not only does this competition get our state’s young students thinking about their future at an early age, this program gives parents and guardians a great start to saving for their children’s education later in life,” said Rep. Ackert. “I’d like to extend my most sincere congratulations to all of the winners from Coventry and across Connecticut.”

The competition, sponsored by the Connecticut State Treasurer’s Office, TIAA-CREF Tuition Financing, Inc., and CHET promotes the importance of saving for college education early by awarding winning students with a $300 contribution to a CHET direct-sold college savings account.

Participating students from K through 3rd grade were asked to illustrate a picture explaining what they would like to do after they attend college. 4th and 5th grade students were asked to write a brief essay on how they will change the world after they attend college.

Out of the 2,300 entries received from across the state, a panel of judges selected a total of 96 winners – a boy and a girl from each grade of the state’s eight counties.

The following Coventry students were awarded in the competition:

Kindergarten: Sarah Ney, Oak Grove Montessori

4th Grade: Lilith Griswold & Jack Poland, G.H. Robertson

5th Grade: Nicholas Galaska & Sophie Kisner, G.H. Robertson