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Connecticut Youth Services Association honors dedication to kids

The Eastern Chapter of the Connecticut Youth Services Association held its 2013 Friends of Youth Services Awards on May 20 at Glastonbury’s Riverfront Community Center. “Parternership is the key to youth service bureau success,” said Alan Slobodien, director of Vernon’s Youth Service Bureau and the master of ceremonies for the event. The honorees for the evening illustrated this maxim, as they represented both long-time employees in the youth services field as well as a variety of partners, including police officers, restaurant managers, high school seniors, town employees and other community advocates and actors.

As honorees and presenters enjoyed dinner before the awards ceremony, Enfield Police Officer George Marusak and youth services employee Christie Amsden talked about their involvement with Enfield kids. Marusak was being honored for his involvement as the School Resource Officer for JFK Middle School. “Enfield Youth Services and Officer George have been working collaboratively for more than 10 years and he has been transformed by us,” said Amsden. Amsden said that Marusak began as a very straight-laced, punctual police officer. But after a few sessions with Peers Are Wonderful Support (PAWS), “His after-school persona turned into a light-hearted and fun-loving youth worker,” said Amsden.

PAWS meets monthly and is open to all middle school children. “We play wiffle ball, dodge ball, kick ball, stuff like that,” said Marusak. “We go on some field trips.” PAWS has a highly-anticipated trip to play Whirlyball scheduled in the near future. “It’s kind of a cross between bumper cars, lacrosse and basketball,” said Marusak.

“What I love about it is you need absolutely no athletic ability whatsoever,” added Amsden.

PAWS averages between 30 and 50 kids per session, according to Amsden, who collaborates on the program with Officer Marusak. “The popularity of this program is reflective of how the kids feel about him,” said Amsden.

The first presenter for the awards portion of the program was AHM Youth Services, which recently added Columbia to its list of towns serviced (Andover, Hebron, Marlborough). AHM’s honorees included Carla Pomprowicz, who has served as the Hebron Town Clerk since 1999. Pomprowicz has also been a member of the board of AHM since 2008, serving on multiple program and fundraising committees including the Lanterns Mentoring Program, the Teen Center, the annual Fall Foliage Concert and Auction and the telethon.

Two RHAM High School seniors, Sean Petersen and Megan Whitesell, were also honored. Petersen has served on the AHM board since 2010 and has volunteered for the telethon, the Maple Festival, the Fall Concert and the golf tournament, among other contributions. Whitesell has also served on the board, as well as volunteering in a number of different ways. One of her notable accomplishments was signing up nearly 100 teen volunteer callers for the annual AHM Telethon.

Another group honoring teen volunteers was the town of Coventry. Like most kids, said Coventry Youth Services Coordinator Crystal Morawitz, the three honored teens came to volunteer because it was required of them; Coventry High School requires 10 hours of community service as a prerequisite for graduation. “But they just kept coming back, and coming back, and coming back,” said Morawitz. “I am amazed by these kids,” she continued. “They do this because it is in them. They do it because they enjoy it.” Ryan McLean, Patricia Piotrowska and Rachel Rolli, all seniors, “went way above and beyond the required hours,” said Morawitz. “[They dedicated] triple that amount of time to our holiday food, gift and bell-ringing programs.”

Other honorees at the 2013 CYSA Friends of Youth Services Awards: East Hartford—Emil S. Kopcha, principal of the Sunset Ridge School Academy of Arts and World Languages; Patty Uccello, youth outreach worker for East Hartford Youth Services; Holly Wells, counseling coordinator for 30 years for East Hartford Youth Services. Enfield—Dorothy Allen, social worker; D’Onya Smith, a senior at Enfield High School who has volunteered in a number of different ways. Glastonbury—John Briody, Evan Lyle, Dena McWilliams and Nancy Sweeney for the Naubuc School Backpack Program; Laura Maud, Corey Morrison and David Smith for the Glastonbury High School Gay Straight Alliance; Mary Kay Brophy for the Hartwell Soccer Club Fee Waiver and Soccer Locker programs. Manchester—Heidi Macchi, outreach social worker and community coordinator for Manchester Public Schools. Mansfield—Sharry Goldman, 30-year supporter of Mansfield youth, including founding the Mansfield Safe Homes Program in 1981. South Windsor—Sgt. Tom Field, Community Outreach Officer for the South Windsor Police Department; Cindi Yakoubian, Community Resource Coordinator for South Windsor Public Schools; Jean Wrenn, School Based Mentoring Program Consultant for South Windsor Public Schools. Vernon—Angellino’s Restaurant manager Marisa Stender, for partnering with the Vernon Youth Services Bureau for the annual holiday party; Dawn Powell, community volunteer for the summer nutrition program.

Article source: http://www.remindernews.com/article/2013/05/21/connecticut-youth-services-association-honors-dedication-to-kids

Hillcrest school program faces ax after 13 years

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The city has spared one Hillcrest after-school program from the budget dance for 13 years, but is now planning to completely cut off its funding, program directors said at a Tuesday rally.

Students and instructors at the Adolescent After School 4 program stood on the steps of the Parsons Educational Complex, at 158-40 76th Road, to blast Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed budget for next year, which will defund the program’s total $101,000 annual cost. That equates to 0.001 percent of the city’s entire $70 billion budget.

“The program gives them a chance to stay off the streets and set goals for themselves,” said Oswald Araujo, director of the Parsons Beacon program, which is run by the Child Center of New York, the same organization that oversees the adolescent program.

The educational service is offered at the Parsons Beacon building, but exists outside of its programming, Araujo said. It serves a minimum of 75 students throughout the year aged 12 to 21 who are emotionally and academically high-risk. Those children have access to a social worker and two mental health professionals, who provide workshops on topics like bullying and the dangers of drugs and gangs. They take the children on field trips and offer other recreational and educational activities as well, the center said.

Several students who participate in the program spoke in its defense, and one former student who is about to become a city school teacher said he would not be where he is without the guidance of his former caseworker.

The funds for the program are administered through the city Department of Health, which informed the care center in a December letter that all funding would dry up in the coming fiscal year.

Adam Karpati, executive deputy commissioner of the department’s Division of Mental Hygiene, whose annual salary in 2011 was about double the program’s annual budget, said declining resources have forced the department to make hard choices about what to cut.

“These cuts have been truly difficult choices,” he wrote.

“While [DOH] has worked hard to find savings by leveraging other funding streams, such as Medicaid, closing programs that were under-performing and capturing savings from programs that are closing voluntarily, we have been unable to avoid difficult cuts like that above.”

Should the cuts make it into the final budget, Araujo said the program would be forced to close, but a representative from the office of City Councilman James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows) said the lawmaker would look into restoring the needed cash from discretionary funds.

Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.

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Article source: http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2013/19/beaconcuts_all_2013_05_10_q.html

Hillcrest school program faces ax after 13 years

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The city has spared one Hillcrest after-school program from the budget dance for 13 years, but is now planning to completely cut off its funding, program directors said at a Tuesday rally.

The funds for the program are administered through the city Department of Health, which informed the care center in a December letter that all funding would dry up in the coming fiscal year.

“These cuts have been truly difficult choices,” he wrote.

Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.

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Article source: http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2013/19/beaconcuts_all_2013_05_10_q.html

Hillcrest school program faces ax after 13 years

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The city has spared one Hillcrest after-school program from the budget dance for 13 years, but is now planning to completely cut off its funding, program directors said at a Tuesday rally.

The funds for the program are administered through the city Department of Health, which informed the care center in a December letter that all funding would dry up in the coming fiscal year.

“These cuts have been truly difficult choices,” he wrote.

Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.

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Article source: http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2013/19/beaconcuts_all_2013_05_10_q.html

Hillcrest school program faces ax after 13 years

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The city has spared one Hillcrest after-school program from the budget dance for 13 years, but is now planning to completely cut off its funding, program directors said at a Tuesday rally.

The funds for the program are administered through the city Department of Health, which informed the care center in a December letter that all funding would dry up in the coming fiscal year.

“These cuts have been truly difficult choices,” he wrote.

Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.

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Article source: http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2013/19/beaconcuts_all_2013_05_10_q.html

Normandin students show off after-school work

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NEW BEDFORD — Students in red shirts raced around the Normandin Middle School cafeteria Tuesday evening, creating a low roar, as they showed parents a semester’s worth of after-school work.

“It is a long day but I kind of like it,” said sixth-grader Nathan Ferreira, 12, one of about 100 students participating this spring in the Citizen Schools after-school program offered at Normandin.

Citizen Schools, a Boston-based nonprofit organization, has run the Normandin program Monday through Thursday from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. since 2006.

During that time, a mix of staff and volunteers provides students with a mix of homework help, English language arts classes, field trips and hands-on activities such as art, flag football or making solar-powered cars.

“It was a matter of recognizing that out-of-school time ” wasn’t being maximized,” said Moriska Selby, the managing director of programs for Massachusetts. “Imagine keeping them in school to focus their energy — it can make such a difference.”

“Our big focus is improving MCAS scores and student achievement by bringing in volunteers and extending the school day,” said Sarah Angers, the New Bedford campus director. She oversees seven staffers who work with teachers at Normandin to identify problem areas for particular students.

Principal Bill Burkhead said the program helps build a positive school culture by keeping the building lively after hours and he has seen attendance and Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System scores rise for participating students.

“The strength of it is they’re very interconnected,” he said. “We’re a team. We share data; we share results.”

Next year, Citizen Schools will serve only Normandin sixth-graders, while the school uses a new, three-year, $300,000 21st Century Learning grant to fund activities for seventh- and eighth-graders.

“We formatted it off of Citizen Schools because structurally their program is sound,” said music teacher Chris Chambers, who worked on the grant application.

At Tuesday’s end-of-semester Citizen Schools “WOW!” event, parents watched as students sang pop songs, modeled clothes made from recycled materials,and explained the design of cars they will take to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on May 19 to compete against other schools.

“We used aerodynamics,” said Ferreira, 12, pointing to the triangular tip of his silver car.

Parent Jennifer Hose, whose 11-year-old son Darian Barreto was enrolled, said it helped improve his grades, which rose from B’s to A’s this semester.

“It’s definitely been a big help,” said Hose, 35. “As a parent, it’s helpful not to have to come home and fight with him over homework.”

For his part, Barreto said three extra hours of school can sometimes be “boring” but he understands why it’s important.

“Sometimes it’s fun and sometimes it’s not,” he said. But without it, “I would sit at home and be a bum.”

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Article source: http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130509/NEWS/305090360

OHS seeks after-school alternatives – Gustine Press

NEWMAN – A flourishing after-school program which provides academic support and enrichment programs for Orestimba High students could be decimated by lack of finances.

The Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District learned recently that a 21st Century grant which has funded the program for the past four years will not be renewed.

“We are very disappointed,” Superintendent Ed Felt commented. “This is a hit for us, and our budget is stretched already. I think we will probably find some local money (for a program), but we will have to prioritize what we can support and what will have to go.”

Anticipating that funding may be discontinued, the district recently issued preliminary layoff notices to 10 classified employees whose positions are funded through the 21st Century grant funds. They included four positions at Orestimba, five at Hunt and a school readiness coordinator at Von Renner.

Superintendent Ed Felt said Orestimba received a core amount of $231,250 annually through the 21st Century grant. It was the only source of funding for the Orestimba after-school program and also supported a number of other programs and activities, which ranged from field trips to a weight training program to homecoming rallies.

“It has been an integral part of campus life,” Felt said of the importance of the grant to OHS. “It is a pretty unique program for the high school level, and an important part of Orestimba High School.”

Mary Hill, the district’s after-school program director, said the Orestimba program emphasized both academic support and enrichment opportunities for students.

That includes credit recovery and concurrent studies for students who have fallen behind, homework help and a mentoring program for at-risk freshmen, Hill said recently. The multitude of enrichment opportunities includes offerings such as ceramics, sewing and jewelry, to name a few.

She anticipates that a reshaped program will focus largely on the academics, at the expense of enrichment programs.

“The students value the enrichment piece,” Hill reflected. “Sometimes that is what kept kids coming to school.”

Hill had previously estimated that the after-school program at Orestimba serves 200 or more students.

Felt said officials have met to begin mapping out a strategy for future years.

He said the district is looking line by line at what is funded through the 21st Century grant and what alternatives may be available.

“We want to look at everything that has a dollar attached to it at Orestimba High which is funded through this grant,” Felt stated. “We need to look at what the position or program is. Our goal is to look at whether there are other funding options available to carry those on. We need to prioritize the programs we want to keep.”

The after-school program is in serious jeopardy, Felt added, but the district “is hoping that we can find funds to keep at least a portion of it going.”

Orestimba Principal Jessie Ceja said the loss of grant funds will have significant ramifications.

He also anticipates the program will focus on academic components such as tutoring and credit recovery.

Enrichment opportunities will likely be curtailed, Ceja explained, but some teachers have agreed to operate programs on a volunteer, club basis.

In addition to the classified jobs at stake, he said, the after-school program provided temporary jobs to students as tutors or staff members at other after-school sites.

“We are going to look to see what we can do, but it will be nothing like what we have,” Ceja said of the after-school program. “It will have a major impact on what we do here.”

The 21st Century grant also partially funded the after-school program at Hunt Elementary. Hill previously told Mattos Newspapers that she anticipates being able to continue that program, although without 21st Century funding support fewer students may be accommodated.

Staff is expected to update the school board on the situation and available options at its May 7 meeting.

In the meantime, Hill said, the Stanislaus County Office of Education, which filed a 21st Century grant application on behalf of four districts, is appealing the denial of the funding.

None of the Stanislaus County districts received grant funding, Hill noted.

The district can reapply next year for a 21st Century grant, which is federal funding administered through the state.

Article source: http://www.westsideconnect.com/2013/05/02/ohs-seeks-after-school-alternatives/

Farrington High Gets Nat’l Gay-Straight Alliance Award

Farrington High School is getting some national recognition for its commitment to sexual and gender equality.

The Gay, Lesbian Straight Education Network today announced that the school has earned the Gay-Straight Alliance of the Year award. The award will be presented at a ceremony in New York on May 20.

The GSA of the Year award recognizes a student club that has demonstrated outstanding leadership within a school community to ensure that all peers feel safe and are treated with respect regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Farrington Club holds weekly after school meetings, field trips and community events, including the AIDS Walk. It also ran a public service announcement.

From the press release:

“Hawaii is often pictured as an island paradise; but in reality, we too, struggle with intolerance and discrimination, particularly towards our LGBT population,” said Alison Colby, co-advisor of Farrington High’s GSA. “Our school is located in the center of a tough urban area, and consequently, our reputation is often negative. This honor gives us all a tremendous lift – it is a celebration of our youth’s power to create a school and community based on acceptance and love.”

But Farrington isn’t new to LGBT leadership. Prominent transgender advocate Janet Mock graduated from the school in 2001 and plans on attending the awards ceremony to celebrate her alma mater.

Courtesy of Guillaume Paumier

— Alia Wong

Article source: http://hawaii.news.blogs.civilbeat.com/post/49234888065/farrington-high-gets-natl-gay-straight-alliance-award

Farrington High Gets Nat’l Gay-Straight Alliance Award

Farrington High School is getting some national recognition for its commitment to sexual and gender equality.

The Farrington Club holds weekly after school meetings, field trips and community events, including the AIDS Walk. It also ran a public service announcement.

From the press release:

“Hawaii is often pictured as an island paradise; but in reality, we too, struggle with intolerance and discrimination, particularly towards our LGBT population,” said Alison Colby, co-advisor of Farrington High’s GSA. “Our school is located in the center of a tough urban area, and consequently, our reputation is often negative. This honor gives us all a tremendous lift – it is a celebration of our youth’s power to create a school and community based on acceptance and love.”

But Farrington isn’t new to LGBT leadership. Prominent transgender advocate Janet Mock graduated from the school in 2001 and plans on attending the awards ceremony to celebrate her alma mater.

Courtesy of Guillaume Paumier

— Alia Wong

Article source: http://hawaii.news.blogs.civilbeat.com/post/49234888065/farrington-high-gets-natl-gay-straight-alliance-award

Farrington High Gets Nat’l Gay-Straight Alliance Award

Farrington High School is getting some national recognition for its commitment to sexual and gender equality.

The Farrington Club holds weekly after school meetings, field trips and community events, including the AIDS Walk. It also ran a public service announcement.

From the press release:

“Hawaii is often pictured as an island paradise; but in reality, we too, struggle with intolerance and discrimination, particularly towards our LGBT population,” said Alison Colby, co-advisor of Farrington High’s GSA. “Our school is located in the center of a tough urban area, and consequently, our reputation is often negative. This honor gives us all a tremendous lift – it is a celebration of our youth’s power to create a school and community based on acceptance and love.”

But Farrington isn’t new to LGBT leadership. Prominent transgender advocate Janet Mock graduated from the school in 2001 and plans on attending the awards ceremony to celebrate her alma mater.

Courtesy of Guillaume Paumier

— Alia Wong

Article source: http://hawaii.news.blogs.civilbeat.com/post/49234888065/farrington-high-gets-natl-gay-straight-alliance-award

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