SBS Alum and Hearst Corporation’s Digital First Media’s Thomas Cleary and FoxCT’s Rich Coppola will be featured speakers at the event in West Hartford.

Submitted by Andrea Austin-Thompson, Saint Brigid School

Rich Coppola. Submitted photo

Saint Brigid School (SBS) is proud to announce that on Friday, Dec. 19, at 1 p.m., SBS alumnus and Breaking News Editor for Digital First Media Thomas Cleary, and Fox 61 News Sports Director Rich Coppola, will be the guest speakers at SBS’ much anticipated monthly Speaking of People Symposium. December’s Symposium will focus on people in the media. This event is free for SBS students and $5 per person for the public.

The objective of the Speaking of People Symposium is to create a conversational and intellectual dialog with the students, faculty, alumni, and the community-at-large, while simultaneously showcasing the success of people from various nationalities and backgrounds that have achieved the highest levels of success in their chosen professions.  The Symposium is similar in format to that of the Bushnell Performing Arts Center’s Connecticut Forum.

Saint Brigid School alum and graduate of the class of 2002, Thomas Cleary, has worked in the newspaper industry as a journalist for a number of years. Most recently, Cleary was appointed as the Breaking News Editor for the media giant, Hearst Corporation’s Digital First Media; which owns theWest Hartford News, New Haven Register, and several other leading newspapers in Connecticut.

Sports Director and broadcast journalist, Rich Coppola is also a Connecticut native. Prior to joining FoxCT 61, Coppola has had an extensive career behind the scenes and onscreen in both radio and television for several decades. Initially, Coppola started his career in radio and then successfully moved onto ESPN as a field producer and then to FoxCT 61, where he is currently.

“There’s a great deal of excitement and intrigue surrounding our monthly Symposium guest speakers. The community and other schools are equally amazed by the caliber of successful professionals who have graciously volunteered to participate in SBS’ Speaking of People Symposiums,” Principal Shevon Hickey proudly noted.

An incredible line-up of guest speakers will kick-off the 2015 New Year on Jan. 23 at 1 p.m., with Dr. Pamela Trotman Reid, president of the University of Saint Joseph. Then in February the keynote speaker will be NBC affiliate WVIT 30’s President and General Manager, Ric Harris.

Past speakers since the start of the 2014 school year have included: President of Eastern Connecticut State University, Dr. Elsa Nunez; President of Capital Community College, Dr. Wilfredo Nieves; and President; and President and CEO of the Connecticut based Sam’s Food Store chain, Naeem Khalid.

Saint Brigid School located in West Hartford is proud to celebrate over 50 years of strong academics, Catholic values and enriched cultural diversity. Saint Brigid is a full-time faith based educational program committed to educating the needs of students from pre-kindergarten (three and four-year olds) to eighth-grade. Visit Saint Brigid School and see for yourself, how our families positively reflect today’s 21^st century global community – one that we proudly celebrate. For more information call: (860) 561-2130.