BETHEL — Six Telstar High School students are being honored for showing exceptional respect, responsibility and perseverance, as part of Telstar’s new grading system.

The system also grades students on the content of their work.

Sophomore Calla Orino, juniors Emily Hanscom, Emalee Harrington, Georgia Piawlock and Koley True, and senior Gaelan Boyle-Wight received at least a cumulative score of 3.1 in all of their classes since the beginning of the year, earning them the title of “HOWLstars.”

Dean of Students Kristin Dacko said HOWL stands for Habits of Work and Learning. It speaks to the work ethic and character of (the) students, he said.

The new grading system, now on a numbered scale of 1 to 4, gives students an academic grade and a HOWL grade. Dacko said previously that the two grades together give a clearer picture of the students’ understanding.

The students will enjoy milk, homemade cookies and goody bags on Wednesday in the high school office.

Telstar High School secretary Eileen Meisner helped organize the celebration, and said the office staff thoroughly enjoys congratulating the students on a job well done.

“They deserve to be recognized in a small school,” she said. “We believe in every student and when a kid excels, we like to reward them for it.”

emarquis@sunmediagroup.net

Telstar High School students, from left, Georgia Piawlock, Emalee Harrington, Koley True, Gaelan Boyle-Wight, Emily Hanscom and Calla Orino, were honored for their character grades at the school in Bethel. (SAD 44 photo)