By mary mahony
The day could not have gone more smoothly. The weather was spectacular, the food was delicious, and the spirit of being together again, was felt by all. It was a small gathering for the JBHSAA Fourth All-Class Alumni Picnic as alumni celebrated and toured the JBHSAA Reading Room replete with a JBHSAA dedication plaque and a display case of JBHS memorabilia. Vintage photos of the early beginnings of Joel Barlow High School lined the wall as alumni searched for a familiar face in the photo of the original classrooms and the first staff to be hired.
The Class of ’75 pranksters, gathered for a photo in front of the school, laughing about their amazing tire prank all those years ago. It was a day of celebrating from the 60’s up to the late 80’s with few people in attendance for the oldest classes. Two old fashioned cars were available for touring, one owned by Hank Sanford, and the other owned by Geoff Howard, who makes a living restoring them.
Art Cristiani, class of ’75, began the event with a warm welcome and a moment of silence to remember all JBHS graduates who have passed away. Kirk Michaels, our amazing D.J., a JBHS class of ’82 graduate, then kept the spirit of the day going with various song contests to see who could remember the name of the song, the year, and the group or person who sang it.
The goal of the day is always to bring alumni together and to rekindle old friendships and catch up. We welcome retired staff and at one point in the day, we had three JBHS principals in attendance; the current Principal, Mario Almeida, the newly retired principal, Dr. Gina Pin, and the former JBHS superintendent of schools and principal, Dr. Thomas McMorran. We continue to be grateful for their ongoing support.
We are especially thankful to those who chaired our picnic committees and to the many alumni who came forward and volunteered to help us with registration. We want to give a huge shout out of thanks to the Barlow staff, custodians, and the local police for their support.
The day would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors. We are extremely grateful to all of them.
Huge Thanks to Our Amazing Sponsors:
Deborah Cole
Caraluzzi's
Easton Village Store
Pignone’s Redding Ridge Market & Deli
Mark Scott
2022 Joel Barlow High School Alumni Association
Scholarship Awardees
Ian O'Reilly: $500.00
Rebecca Pasto: $500.00
Jenna Decker-Geaney: $500.00
Valeria Morineau Nacif: $500.00
Remembering the Greatest of All Greats,
Coach John Profetto
Incredible Coach, Husband, Father, Businessman, and Friend to All
As we reflected on our Fourth JBHSAA All-Class Alumni Picnic, we received word that our much-loved former JBHS Coach John Profetto had passed away, followed a few days later by his loving wife and amazing soul mate, Rose. John was truly the greatest of all greats as he provided his Barlow teams with amazing coaching and sportsmanship leading his football team to winning the inaugural Western Connecticut Conference Championship. As a result his team was recognized by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference as the best small school football team in the entire state.
Every athlete that John ever coached remembered him as the amazing coach that he truly was and the impact he had on their lives. In addition to being an impressive coach, John was an incredible husband, father, friend and successful businessman. John was a man of integrity and became a role model to all who had the privilege of knowing and working with him, whether on the field or later, in an office. The word "ego" was not part of John's vocabulary since he preferred to share the limelight with others and not himself. Finally, in 2015 John was put into the limelight as an inductee of the JBHS Hall of Fame, a very well-deserved honor. On that night and on many other occasions, John thanked his soul mate and loving wife, Rose, for always supporting him in whatever he chose to do. In every way they were a team.
John and Rose are survived by their two amazing daughters, Megan Profetto and Mary Profetto Irwin, who cared for John and Rose until they passed.
The JBHSAA extends our deepest sympathy to Megan and Mary and to all whose lives were touched by John and Rose. They will be dearly missed.
Please click on the link below to read a fabulous in depth tribute to John and Rose Profetto, written by Bruce Nelson, JBHS Class of '66.
Two Lives Well Lived- Coach Profetto & Rose - Easton Courier
Be immortalized forever
in our JBHS Alumni Wall of Fame!
Buy A Brick
Purchase a brick for $50 and your message and/or name and class year will be engraved onto a brick and placed onto the growing brick pathway at Joel Barlow High School.
Support the JBHSAA Fund
The JBHSAA Fund supports our scholarships for graduating seniors as well as other high school alumni initiatives. Please consider making a gift - it's easy and a great way to support the community!
Make a Gift to our JBHSAA:
Questions about the JBHS Alumni Association?
Contact: [email protected]
The Class of ’75 pranksters, gathered for a photo in front of the school, laughing about their amazing tire prank all those years ago. It was a day of celebrating from the 60’s up to the late 80’s with few people in attendance for the oldest classes. Two old fashioned cars were available for touring, one owned by Hank Sanford, and the other owned by Geoff Howard, who makes a living restoring them.
Art Cristiani, class of ’75, began the event with a warm welcome and a moment of silence to remember all JBHS graduates who have passed away. Kirk Michaels, our amazing D.J., a JBHS class of ’82 graduate, then kept the spirit of the day going with various song contests to see who could remember the name of the song, the year, and the group or person who sang it.
The goal of the day is always to bring alumni together and to rekindle old friendships and catch up. We welcome retired staff and at one point in the day, we had three JBHS principals in attendance; the current Principal, Mario Almeida, the newly retired principal, Dr. Gina Pin, and the former JBHS superintendent of schools and principal, Dr. Thomas McMorran. We continue to be grateful for their ongoing support.
We are especially thankful to those who chaired our picnic committees and to the many alumni who came forward and volunteered to help us with registration. We want to give a huge shout out of thanks to the Barlow staff, custodians, and the local police for their support.
The day would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors. We are extremely grateful to all of them.
Huge Thanks to Our Amazing Sponsors:
Deborah Cole
Caraluzzi's
Easton Village Store
Pignone’s Redding Ridge Market & Deli
Mark Scott
2022 Joel Barlow High School Alumni Association
Scholarship Awardees
Ian O'Reilly: $500.00
Rebecca Pasto: $500.00
Jenna Decker-Geaney: $500.00
Valeria Morineau Nacif: $500.00
Remembering the Greatest of All Greats,
Coach John Profetto
Incredible Coach, Husband, Father, Businessman, and Friend to All
As we reflected on our Fourth JBHSAA All-Class Alumni Picnic, we received word that our much-loved former JBHS Coach John Profetto had passed away, followed a few days later by his loving wife and amazing soul mate, Rose. John was truly the greatest of all greats as he provided his Barlow teams with amazing coaching and sportsmanship leading his football team to winning the inaugural Western Connecticut Conference Championship. As a result his team was recognized by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference as the best small school football team in the entire state.
Every athlete that John ever coached remembered him as the amazing coach that he truly was and the impact he had on their lives. In addition to being an impressive coach, John was an incredible husband, father, friend and successful businessman. John was a man of integrity and became a role model to all who had the privilege of knowing and working with him, whether on the field or later, in an office. The word "ego" was not part of John's vocabulary since he preferred to share the limelight with others and not himself. Finally, in 2015 John was put into the limelight as an inductee of the JBHS Hall of Fame, a very well-deserved honor. On that night and on many other occasions, John thanked his soul mate and loving wife, Rose, for always supporting him in whatever he chose to do. In every way they were a team.
John and Rose are survived by their two amazing daughters, Megan Profetto and Mary Profetto Irwin, who cared for John and Rose until they passed.
The JBHSAA extends our deepest sympathy to Megan and Mary and to all whose lives were touched by John and Rose. They will be dearly missed.
Please click on the link below to read a fabulous in depth tribute to John and Rose Profetto, written by Bruce Nelson, JBHS Class of '66.
Two Lives Well Lived- Coach Profetto & Rose - Easton Courier
Be immortalized forever
in our JBHS Alumni Wall of Fame!
Buy A Brick
Purchase a brick for $50 and your message and/or name and class year will be engraved onto a brick and placed onto the growing brick pathway at Joel Barlow High School.
Support the JBHSAA Fund
The JBHSAA Fund supports our scholarships for graduating seniors as well as other high school alumni initiatives. Please consider making a gift - it's easy and a great way to support the community!
Make a Gift to our JBHSAA:
- Send a check made out to: JBHSAA
Joel Barlow High School Alumni Assn.
100 Black Rock Turnpike
Redding CT 06896
Questions about the JBHS Alumni Association?
Contact: [email protected]
