Stamford Athletics Honored With 2 Sportsmanship Awards

STAMFORD, CT — Stamford High School is among 22 Connecticut high schools being honored by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) with a 2020-2021 Michaels Achievement Cup Award.

The school was also just one of three schools (along with Newtown and Lyme-Old Lyme) in the state to receive the 2021-2022 Fred Balsamo Sportsmanship Award. This is the second year the award has bene given out.

Balsamo is the executive director for the Connecticut Association of Athletic Directors Association (CAAD). The award is given to schools that demonstrate outstanding sportsmanship and provides an enjoyable experience for students in athletics.

Awarded to schools which take part in the CIAC's Class Act program, the Michaels Cup recognizes exemplary athletic programs for their willingness to subscribe to the Class Act Sportsmanship standards, empowering students to take an active role in their school climate, and their continued support for community service.

"I'm extremely proud of our kids and our coaches. One of the things we try to do here, is really in the last few years, try to make a point of being more than just student-athletes, but the whole package. That includes service to your community," said Stamford High School Athletic Director Christopher Passamano. "Getting both of those awards in one year in two different initiatives is a really big deal for us. It's something to be very proud of."

The Michaels Cup was created in the early 1980s as the brainchild of Roy Michaels, owner of Michaels Jewelers, in an effort to recognize outstanding athletic programs.

The complete list of this year's honorees includes:

• Academy of Aerospace and Engineering
• Academy of Science and Innovation
• Amity Regional High School
• Bethel High School
• Bloomfield High School
• Brookfield High School
• Cheshire High School
• Civic Leadership High School
• Granby Memorial High School
• Joel Barlow High School
• Ledyard High School
• Lyme-Old Lyme High School
• Masuk High School
• Metropolitan Learning Center
• Newtown High School
• Oliver Wolcott Technical High School
• Simsbury High School
• Stamford High School
• Westbrook High School
• Weston High School
• Wilton High School
• Woodstock Academy

The Michaels Cup recipients will be formally recognized during the CIAC's virtual Sportsmanship Conference on Jan. 28, 2022.

Patch's Tim Jensen contributed reporting to this story.