CAS ANNOUNCES 2013 ENDOWMENT GRANT WINNERS

A representative from Woodrow Wilson Middle School receives a check from CAS Executive Director Karissa Niehoff.Representatives from Forbes Elementary School receive check from Executive Director Karissa Niehoff.
Representatives from Griswold High School receive a check from CAS Executive Director Karissa Niehoff.Representatives from Memorial Elementary School receive a check from CAS Executive Director Karissa Niehoff.
Representatives from Kaynor Technical High School receive a check from CAS Executive Director Karissa Niehoff.Representatives from Duggan Elementary School receive a check from CAS Executive Director Karissa Niehoff.
A representative from Ellington High School receives a check from CAS Executive Director Karissa Niehoff.A representative from Moriarty School receives a check from CAS Executive Director Karissa Niehoff.
A representative from Westhill High School receives a check from CAS Executive Director Karissa Niehoff.

In its inaugural year, the CAS-CIAC Endowment and Flanagan Grant Program awarded more than $30,000 to member schools with innovative student activities programs. Out of forty-two applications, nine winners were selected. Here's a glimpse of these award-worthy programs!

Woodrow Wilson Middle School, Middletown:
The RAM PRIDE PATROL is an awareness program that provides students with the opportunity to be advocates for their fellow students who have been bullied. This program also provides students with a way to participate in an ongoing forum about bullying. Students may sign up for the PATROL or be recommended by members already on the PATROL. PATROL members attend a three-day training session each year and wear a lanyard that declares their commitment to eradicating bullying from Woodrow Wilson. Students on PRIDE PATROL meet twice a month to keep current their knowledge of the strategies they can use in their work. Since 2011 the number of students in RAM PRIDE PATROL has grown from 25 to nearly 300! The goal is to make Woodrow Wilson the first “Bully-Free” school in Connecticut.

Forbes Elementary School, Torrington:
At Forbes Elementary School in Torrington The Community Family Literacy Center is a new and innovative approach to bridging the gap between K-5 schools, preschools, and families. The goal is to connect local families with children that range in age from infants through age ten. The Center provides a place at which families can borrow books and media, attend family literacy events, and learn how to use the latest technology. There are three goals: (1) to support local preschools and home daycare in early literacy; (2) to continue strengthening families and support the growth and development of children in the Torrington Public Schools; (3) be a model for all schools in Connecticut developing programs for family involvement and preschool teacher support.

Griswold High School:
A Career and Technical Education Enrichment Program will engage 8th grade students in non-traditional activities involving exposure to potential future careers. Areas of focus will be manufacturing, early childhood education, and culinary and medical careers. The goal is to ease the transition from middle school to high school by exposing 8th grade students to non-traditional occupations through CTE enrichment activities. Eight grade students will meet weekly in a ninety-minute block and will participate in a variety of “hands on” projects provided by teachers and high school interns.

Memorial Elementary School, East Hampton:
With this grant, Memorial will form a new club designed to give third grade students the opportunity to use technology to improve their reading fluency and comprehension skills. Students, teachers, and the Memorial assistant principal will meet before school 2-3 days a week to improve student reading skills through the use of iPads and various apps designed to target specific reading skills and competencies. Students will simultaneously improve their reading while also gaining the skills necessary to be successful in the 21st century. The students selected to participate will be those who demonstrate a need for support in developing literacy skills as well as students who would like to have an enrichment experience.

Kaynor Technical High School, Waterbury:
“The Strong Initiative” is a series of programs and activities developed to meet the needs of Kaynor students throughout their high school career. Each grade will focus on the following themes : freshman year – Start Strong; sophomore year – Be Strong; junior year – Stay Strong; and senior year – Finish Strong. During their high school career, students at Kaynor will participate in activities that will help them develop skills for future careers & success. All programs at Kaynor Tech will connect to one or more of the themes – thereby reinforcing the importance of the message. The goal of the strong program is to provide significant incentives and strategies for all students, so that students graduate with a strong foundation to succeed in their chosen career path.

Duggan Elementary School, Waterbury:
At Duggan Elementary the CARE project (Cultural Awareness Regarding Ethnicity) represents an innovative approach specifically designed to encourage students to enjoy and look forward to reading. This project will involve family members and is designed to improve overall reading proficiency. All kindergarten students will be introduced to five books that will be sent home so that students can read them with family members. Every five weeks a new book will introduce youngsters to a broad range of ethnicities for future class discussions. Teachers will conduct complimentary lessons in the classroom to support what students are learning through this project.

Ellington High School:
Next year Ellington High School will have an author in residence - a week-long multi-cultural author/illustrator program for all students. Students will participate in readings, workshops, and visits to classrooms by authors/artists, inspiring future writers and illustrators in the student body. The goal of this program is to support the school’s core values and beliefs about communication, innovation, and critical thinking. By delivering a program that provides cultural enrichment through the diverse presentations by a minority author and illustrator, students will become aware of differing perspectives and experiences.

Moriarty School, Norwich:
Playground Sessions is a unique music education program that teaches its users to play the piano – an opportunity not afforded to many of Moriarty’s students in Norwich. The mantra of this program is that users play to learn rather than learn to play. The staff at Moriarty is constantly looking for ways to motivate their students to learn and thus to feel better about themselves while also enriching their lives with unique resources. Students will learn how to play songs on the piano almost immediately, how to read music, how to practice effectively, and how to compose new melodies and arrangements. We all know that music can impact us emotionally, socially, and physically. The target population serves by this grant will be students who are struggling with self-esteem issues due to language barriers, transition to a new school, and/or low academic performance.

Westhill High School, Stamford:
In order to raise the performance of all of Westhill’s lowest performing underclassmen while also addressing the demographic “achievement gap,” Westhill seniors will serve as “Assistant Teacher Interns” in classrooms that have a critical mass of freshmen and sophomores who are academically at risk. There are three broad areas that will benefit from this program: (1) the seniors who will experience a deep personal satisfaction of helping a fellow student who is struggling; (2) the at-risk students who will see improved grades and experience a deeper learning in their subjects; and (3) the entire Westhill community – for once there is a critical mass of at-risk students who have learned the skills and habits of mind required to be successful, the dream of true schooling will be realized – that all students can be successful.