FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact:   Elissa Ruffino (NIAF) 202/939-3106 or elissa@niaf.org

(Washington, DC – October 6, 2003) Roy L. De Barbieri, Esq., managing partner at De Barbieri & Associates, Attorneys at Law in New Haven, Conn. and National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) area coordinator in Connecticut, will meet with students studying Italian to discuss the culture and heritage of Italy on October 17 as part of the Columbus Day Celebration Week at Newtown High School in Newtown, Conn.

Newtown High School is a recipient of a $2,000 NIAF education grant. The grant will enhance and expand their Italian language program.

“We are pleased and honored to have the participation of NIAF in our school program for Italian education at Newtown High School,” Laura Battisti, an Italian language instructor at Newtown High School, said.

One of the principal missions of NIAF is to promote and preserve Italian language and culture throughout the United States. NIAF awards grants to colleges, high schools and grammar schools to expand and create Italian language and cultural classes throughout the nation. The Foundation also awards scholarships for students studying Italian with special emphasis on students studying to be Italian teachers. This year, NIAF created the Teacher of the Year Award in Italian Language and Culture, and the winner will be recognized at the annual awards luncheon. This summer, NIAF, with the assistance of the Italian Embassy in Washington, provided six Italian Culture and Language Fellowships in Italy for cultural, language, and educational workshops for school principals in the Washington, D.C. area. At Harvard University, NIAF conducted “Teach the Teachers,” a workshop for high school teachers to learn about Italian American history and culture so they can incorporate the information into their class curriculums.

De Barbieri is actively involved in the Italian American community. He serves as counsel to the Columbus Day Committee Inc. of New Haven. He is also past president of the Amity Club of New Haven and a member of the NIAF Council of 1000. He has served on the Governor’s Housing Advisory panel and was a voluntary Housing Judge in Connecticut’s Small Claims Court.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Long Island, New York, De Barbieri holds a Juris Doctor degree from Cleveland State University and a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He resides in Madison, Connecticut with his wife and two children.