Last week, we sifted through the Brookfield Patch archives for the best articles, photos and videos of the year to compile the 2011 Brookfield Year in Review. Follow the links below to see the most read, most engaging and most interesting Brookfield stories from 2011. Top 10 Most Read Stories of the Year and Editor’s Choice for Top 5 Most Interesting Stories not to make the Top 10 Most Commented Articles Top 10 Police and Emergency Stories Wild Weather of 2011 Feel Good Stories of the Year and Noteworthy People Top Government and Education Stories 2011’s Best Photos and Videos

Maggie O’Connor The two most read articles of the year both centered on the tragic loss of eight-year-old Maggie O’Connor in July. The young girl was in the family SUV in the driveway when the car began to roll down the steep hill, eventually striking a grove of trees, killing her on impact. Readership on the original breaking news story was high, however even more readers logged on to read about the kind of girl Maggie was and what was lost in that tragic accident, making it our No. 1 story. Dex Smenyak The second most read story was the obituary for Brookfielder Dex Jay Smenyak, who passed …

Doc Wollkind Hearings Brookfield High School (BHS) math teacher Dr. Robert “Doc” Wollkind was put on suspension in December 2010, however the hearings did not begin until January 2011. Wollkind requested that his case be heard by an impartial tribunal, which conducted an inquiry over four days of hearings. The tribunal eventually ruled 2-1 against Wollkind, who retired from BHS a few days after the decision was released. bin Laden Killed The world heard the news that Osama bin Laden had been found and killed Sunday, May 1, 2011 and the next morning the nation and Brookfield were relishing in …

Budget Discussion The most commented story of 2011 was, oddly enough, an article dedicated to comments. A discussion of the 2011-12 budget between the two referendums garnered 139 comments, with members of the public asking questions and getting their answers directly from Board of Education (BOE) members. Finance Board’s Second Budget Our second most commented story was also about the budget, however the comments were on the news in the story above. After the education budget failed at the first referendum by a margin of nine votes, the Board of Finance (BOF) debated whether to make a large …

Hit-and-Run Death Near the end of November, a young Brookfield man, Western Connecticut State University (WestConn) student Dong Lin, was struck while crossing White Street in Danbury and died a short time later due to his wounds. The driver, later discovered to be a fifth-year senior at the university, fled the scene of the accident and turned himself in a week later in the presence of his lawyer. Danbury police have yet to issue an arrest in the incident but officials say one is pending. Meanwhile, Lin’s family is hoping for some justice. Echo Bay Suicide A New Jersey woman, 26-year-old …

Act of Kindness Reader Joseph Ceci wrote in to Brookfield Patch about coming home to four feet of snow mid-January, with a much needed oil delivery coming the next day and the snow blower out of service. Luckily for the Ceci family, a Good Samaritan stopped to help. Kindness of Others Brookfield stepped up again in the wake of Irene, as told by blogger Kathy Schilling. In the second of three major power outages this year, Schilling’s neighborhood came together to manage through. Philatelic Celebrates 50th The Brookfield Philatelic Society, a club of stamp collectors, marked their 50th …

Municipal Elections The big Government Story of the Year would have to be the 2011 Municipal Elections, which saw incumbents First Selectman Bill Davidson and Selectmen Howard Lasser keep their seats on the Board of Selectmen (BOS), joined by newly elected Selectman George Walker. The election also saw the second lowest voter turnout in town history, with turnout low across the region in the wake of Winter Storm Alfred. Every incumbent down the ballot was reelected, save for former Selectman Steve O’Reilly, who lost his bid for First Selectman and was the lowest vote getter in the Selectmen …

Doc Wollkind Retires Thirty-two-year Brookfield High School (BHS) math teacher Dr. Robert “Doc” Wollkind retired in August after a three member impartial tribunal ruled in favor of his termination earlier that month. Superintendent Anthony Bivona recommended Wollkind’s termination in December 2010 after controversial comments were made to two students over two days in November 2010. During the hearings, the school district’s attorneys referenced 18 prior recorded incidents in Wollkind’s personnel file and attempted to establish a pattern of behavior unbefitting a teacher. Wollkind’s attorney …

Muskrats Swim for Maggie In a touching display of unity for their late teammate, Maggie O’Connor, the Brookfield Muskrats swim team went above and beyond in their annual swim-a-thon fundraiser. The team usually raises about $200 for their uniforms and transportation, however this year they raised over $4,000. Many of the kids swam two or three times as many laps as they had in years past and the team opened the swim-a-thon to the public, who chipped in to help raise money for a tribute to Maggie at the new Kids Kingdom playground. 10th Anniversary of Sept. 11 Brookfield held a candlelight …

Olympic Trial Contender Brookfield High School (BHS) swimmer Maddy Smart qualified for the Olympic Trials next summer in advance of the 2012 Olympic games. Smart edged out nine other swimmers in a qualifier held in August in Palo Alto, CA. The BHS junior also led the girls swim team through a great season and a third place finish at the SWC Championship meet without a diver on the team. Women of the Year The Women’s Club of Brookfield named Marian Miller, a three-time teacher of the year and active community volunteer, as their 2011 Woman of the Year. The Women’s Club also recognized BHS …

January Snow Beginning with a fierce snowstorm on New Years Eve, January 2011 brought records amount of snow, at times shutting down the town and causing roof collapses throughout the region. Brookfields emergency responders stepped up during the storm, working a collective 140 hours in a 24-hour period. And you, the reader, chipped in, with letters to the editor about acts of kindness and sending in your snow shots to chronicle the historic string of storms: January 7; January 12; January 17; January 27; February 1; Icicles. Spring Floods By March all that snow began to melt, producing major…

As we began our year in review, we realized just how eventful 2011 has been for Brookfield. Over the next five days, Brookfield Patch will be featuring the top stories of the year in a series of categories. We would also like to thank you, the reader for continuing to support Brookfield Patch with your clicks, comments, letters to the editor, photos, videos and so much more. Wishing you and yours a safe and happy holiday season and a prosperous 2012. Year in Review Schedule: Monday Top 10 Photos Troublesome Weather Tuesday Top 10 Videos Noteworthy People Wednesday Top 10 Government News …

Class of 2011 Brookfield High School (BHS) Class of 2011 graduated in June and photographer Matt Dewkett was there to record the day in photos. There were a number of great shots from that album but one of graduate Aileen Tobin in 2011 glasses was just too good to pass up. Soldiers on Duty Two of the most read stories of 2011 were photographs of Brookfield natives serving their country overseas in Afghanistan. The first, taken on January 9 in Kandahar province, featured Pfc. Patrick Tinsley greeting local children with a friendly fist-bump. The second is of Marine Lance Cpl. John Lynch …