Five years ago, principal Mrs. Hagness sat down with Mrs. Rizzo to tell her the previous Interact officer was resigning and wanted Rizzo to fill the position. Hagness believed that Rizzo would be the perfect candidate, Rizzo remembers, as she loved to volunteer and experience gratitude. Now, five years and over 90 service hours later, Rizzo will be stepping down as the club’s advisor to pass on the torch.
“Service above self,” the motto of the club, has the goal of lending a helping hand to The Morgan School, Clinton community, and the world at large. Not only that, but to experience gratitude and change lives through many experiences.
Interact club is nationwide and was established by Rotary International in 1962 in Florida. The club became a part of Morgan after it was brought to Old Saybrook and Westbrook in 1997. There are over 342,953 members nationwide.
The Interact club at Morgan works closely with Clinton’s Rotary Club and Linda Gowerk. Gowerk, a member of the Rotary club and a resident in Clinton, is the connection for community service, Rotary Student of the Month, and provides funds, if necessary. For example, Rotary funded the money for the bus for the Habitat for Humanity field trip on March 21, 2025, an annual field trip for the club. This field trip is where students over the age of 16 and part of the club traveled to New Haven to help build a house for a homeless family.
On March 21, the club took on a unique experience. “It was nothing like I have ever experienced before, and I got to see a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into building a house that you don’t typically think about” Nina Fishman, this year’s club president, said. It made her have a greater appreciation for construction workers, was a cool experience. The efforts from this trip were going to good family and cause, and people in need of the house.
The format of the club includes biweekly meetings for 30 minutes before school every Thursday, announcements on Google Classroom, guest speakers, and service projects.
This year, the club made bus driver bags with goodies to be dropped off at all the buses, to shine appreciation on overlooked workers part of the Morgan community in April. Additionally, they made Valentine Day wreaths for elderly folks at Ocean Meadows. The list goes on with the amount of service the club has done.
Some additional events include watering plants around the school, knitting baby blankets, Christmas in Clinton, Bingo at Glenhaven, and Habitat for Humanity in New Haven.
This past year’s president and senior, Nina Fishman says,“it has had a big impact and effect on others and herself. Service is so good, and seeing the impact on other people lives, to be able to go into the
community, doing things I haven’t done before, and meeting new people.” Just this year, Fishman had 50 service hours.
Nina has been in the club since her Sophomore year, and her participation has increased each year. This year, students in the club all voted for president, and Fishman came out on top.
Rizzo would like to give “a big shout-out to Nina Fishman, her passion and dedication will never be forgotten.”
Just like how Fishman’s passion will never be forgotten by Rizzo, Rizzo’s impact on the club will forever be remembered and appreciated. Rizzo has decided to step down, so that she could explore other opportunities and clubs at the school, “it was time to pass over the torch,” she said.
Interact forever holds a place in her heart, and she would love to help the next advisor with ideas for the club. Although she doesn’t know who the position will go to, there are many candidates for the job.
Rizzo would like to say so long to not only a club, but a family.
