HUDSON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT ALUMNI
Major Reunion in the Offing
Hudson Grad Signs Her Latest Book
Jene Lupoli Luciani, HHS '95, signed copies of her newest book, "The Bra Book," Saturday, Dec. 12 at The Spotty Dog, 440 Warren St., Hudson.
HHS Grads Making Waves
This has been a good season for noticing Hudson City School District alumni. First, Jill Cozza-Turner, class of 1995, won a daytime Emmy Award for her writing on the PBS children's series, WordWorld.
Then Gary Sheffer, class of 1978, head of communications at the General Electric Co., addressed the Columbia County Economic Development Corporation CEO Roundtable on the topic of how Columbia County fits into the larger economic picture.
Cozza-Turner Wins Emmy
ABOVE: Jill Cozza-Turner, right, with her aunt, HCSD After-School Program Director Kathy Clark, at the Hudson Opera House Nov. 2 for "Hudson Reads."
An Emmy Award, the Oscar of the television world, recently went to a Hudson High School graduate, Jill Cozza-Turner of the Class of 1995. She’s a scriptwriter for WordWorld, a children’s show about a world made up of words. “Words are everywhere,” she said. “CHAIR in the shape of a chair; COW in the shape of a cow. Everywhere a child looks, they see words.” The series uses a new kind of animation that looks 3-dimensional, Cozza-Turner said.
Despite her relative youth, Cozza-Turner has put in her time to hone her craft: She’s been writing for preschoolers for about 10 years. Still, how does one achieve Emmy status in such a short time? “You work hard and have a little faith,” she said. She read every script she could get her hands on: “I always wanted to write for children,” she said. “I think preschool is an important age-group. So I started started doing children’s books.” Meanwhile, she started working as a receptionist, answering phones at an animation studio in New York City, and worked her way up. “I started handing out scripts to people in my studio,” she said. “I answered a lot of ads.”
Eventually, her efforts paid off. “It was a thrill, such a thrill!” she said of the awards ceremony. “It was a huge honor.” Jill is the daughter of Jay and Teri Cozza of Hudson, and the niece of Kathy Clark, director of the Hudson City School District’s After School Program.
Read Francesca Olson's story in the Register-Star.
GE Communications Chief Talks About Hudson & the World
Gary Sheffer, Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs for the General Electric Co., addressed the Columbia County Economic Development Corporation CEO Roundtable October 29, 2009. In a speech that was both personal and global, he touched on his experiences at Hudson High School and later at the Register-Star, told about his grandfathers, both Hudsonians, how his parents met each other and how he met his wife, and went on to talk about how Columbia County values apply to the contemporary world economic situation.
Read selections from Sheffer's speech.