Start your day in Wilton with GOOD To Go, GMW‘s highlight of quick stories, local announcements and events, things worth knowing and anything that helps make your Wilton day better. Have a news tip, item or something Wilton should know? Fill out this form to tell GMW.
GOOD To Watch/Attend: This Week’s Town Board Meetings
Monday, May 18:
- Board of Selectmen Special Meeting — Executive Session at 6 p.m., at Comstock Community Center, Rm. 31 [agenda]
- Board of Selectmen Meeting at 7 p.m., at Comstock Community Center, Rm. 31 and via Zoom [agenda] [Zoom link]
- Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting at 7:15 p.m., via Zoom [agenda] [Zoom link]
Tuesday, May 19: Board of Finance Special Meeting at 7 p.m., at Comstock Community Center, Rm. 31, and via Zoom [agenda] [Zoom link]
Thursday, May 21: Board of Education Meeting at 7 p.m., at the Wilton High School Professional Library, via Zoom and via YouTube
GOOD Heroes: Wilton Fire Department Swears In New Firefighter
The Wilton Fire Department officially welcomed its newest firefighter Friday afternoon, May 15, swearing in Michael Derasmo during a ceremony at Fire Headquarters.
Fire Chief Jim Blanchfield praised Derasmo’s professionalism and commitment to public service, noting his certifications in Firefighter I and II, Hazardous Materials Operations and EMT training, as well as his service with the Watertown Volunteer Fire Department and AMR Ambulance.
Derasmo’s family members joined Town officials, Fire commissioners and public safety personnel for the ceremony, where Derasmo received his badge and helmet as a Wilton firefighter.
GOOD Scholars: Four Wilton Students Named National Merit Scholars
Four Wilton students have been named National Merit Scholars and will receive the 2026 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships. This award by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation is given to some of the nation’s highest-achieving high school seniors.
Three of the National Merit Scholars are students at Wilton High School — Keya Patel, Meredith Sullivan and Avner Wilson-Spiro. Also named as a National Merit Scholar was Oliver Rohrbasser, who attends Greens Farms Academy in Westport.
National Merit Scholarship winners are selected from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists nationwide based on academic achievement, PSAT/NMSQT scores, leadership, extracurricular involvement, essays and school recommendations.
By the end of the 2026 competition, about 6,700 students nationwide will earn National Merit Scholar status and share nearly $24 million in scholarships.
GOOD Kindness: Wilton Schools Buzz with Compassion Celebrating Be Kindness, Inclusion and Diversity Awareness
Every April, the hallways of Wilton Public Schools carry a little more intention, a little more warmth. For the past 10 years, the Wilton Special Education PTA (Wilton SEPTA) has sponsored Kindness, Inclusion and Diversity Awareness Month across the Wilton district, working to build a lasting culture of compassion and belonging for every student.
This year, the month culminated in a highlight moment on Friday, Apr. 24, when students and staff at Miller-Driscoll and Cider Mill Schools, took part in “Dress Like a Bee for Be Kind Day,” a spirited, school-wide celebration that brought the month’s message to life in the most colorful way possible.
“We hope that we will continue to spread the message of kindness and inclusion for years to come, so that the next generation will keep it going and expand it to reach the greater community and beyond,” SEPTA President Kara Berghaus said.
The mission goes beyond awareness. By actively teaching students from Pre-K through 5th grade the skills to develop understanding, respect and appreciation for differences, SEPTA hopes these lessons move beyond the classroom and into the choices students make every single day.
Students across every grade level participated, as heartfelt stories and reflections poured in, each one a reminder of how naturally empathy can take root when young people are given the space to express it. The winners of this year’s random drawing expressed, in their own words, a snapshot of what kindness looks like through the eyes of Wilton’s youngest community members.
Pre-K & 1st Grade: (siblings) Parmys Zamani, PreK3 Miller-Driscoll School, Mrs. Alger “I show kindness by sharing my toys to my friends and taking turns.” Suren Zamani, 1st Grade Miller-Driscoll, Mrs. Casl “Kindness is thinking about others’ feelings and happiness.” Credit: SEPTA 
Kindergarten: Brendan Patton, Miller-Driscoll School, Mr. Giaimo: “Being kind means, when someone is sad or falls down, to help them up and make them feel better.” Credit: SEPTA 
First Grade: Phillipa (Pippa) Panella (seen here placing the queen bee into its hive at her family’s home), Miller-Driscoll School, Mrs. Casl: “Listening to others and respecting others to take care of each other and nature” Credit: SEPTA 
2nd Grade: Molly Mackay, Miller-Driscoll School, Mrs. Dooley: “Kindness means to not be mean and to not hurt other people’s feelings” Credit: SEPTA 
3rd Grade: Penny Grayson, Cider Mill School “Kindness means to include others” Credit: SEPTA
GOOD Governing: State Sen. Ceci Maher and State Rep. Savet Constantine to Hold Legislative Wrap-Up Session
State Sen. Ceci Maher and State Rep. Savet Constantine will hold a session at Wilton Library on Tuesday, May 26 at 6:30 p.m. to review the 2026 Legislative Session, including what was — and what wasn’t — passed this year.
Maher represents the 26th state senate district, which covers Wilton, Weston, Westport, Redding and parts of Ridgefield, Darien, New Canaan and Stamford. She is serving in her last of two terms — Maher announced earlier this year that she was not running for re-election. She serves as Deputy President Pro Tempore, chairs the Children and Internship committee; is vice chair of Human Services; and is a member of the Energy and Technology, Environment, and Judiciary Committees.
Constantine is the state representative for the 42nd House district, which includes all of Wilton and parts of New Canaan and Ridgefield. She was first elected in November 2024. Within the State Assembly, she serves as vice chair of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, and is a member of the Bonding Subcommittee; she’s also on the Energy and Technology and Education Committees.
Registration is required and can be completed online.