January 14, 2012

HEROES AND HEROINES OFFERED FOR 170 STUDENTS TO EMULATE

By Jonathan Stankiewicz, Chronicle Staff Writer

WILLIMANTIC — Thanks to a new grant provided to EastConn, more than 170 third graders were able to spend a day at Eastern Connecticut State University in a new program called “Heroes and Heroines” on Friday.

Third graders from Windham, Coventry, East Hartford and Hartford were able to meet people from different backgrounds thanks to an inter-district grant intended to increase their awareness of academic achievement and appreciation for diversity.

“Having this event and having it here at Eastern gives all of these kids something to reach for,” said literary specialist, writer and coordinator of the program Lisa Taylor, who has been working grant programs for EastConn for 11 years.

Funded by the state Department of Education the program helps the kids to remember that they, too, can be heroes, said Taylor.

As a part of the “Heroes and Heroines” program, the students are going to read books tailored to the theme, work on a collaborative research project and illustrate their projects at the end of the year.

EastConn, one of six Regional Educational Service Centers (RESCs) in Connecticut, is a public, non- profit agency that has been serving the educational needs of schools, organizations, communities and individuals of all ages in northeastern Connecticut since 1980.

Students have also communicated to the other schools online and through the mail throughout the year, said Taylor.

The students were able to get out of school on Friday and meet at the Student Center at ECSU to listen to different speakers and ask questions.

Denise Merrill, Connecticut’s Secretary of State, told the students that she had to fight for her education and that she was the first in her family to go to college.

“You have to get out there and do something,” said Merrill, adding her mother is her hero. “You can make a difference, but you can’t do it alone.”

“This is an impressionistic age for these kids,” said Merrill. “It’s great to get them out of the classroom to meet real people.”

State Rep. Susan Johnson, D-Willimantic, said that she has always liked helping people.

State Rep. Susan Johnson, D-Willimantic, speaks about her participating in politics and the time she has spent helping people.

“I’ve been in government since 1985 and I’ve been working to help people protect their rights,” Johnson said.

FBI Victim Specialist, Kathleen Liner, said that it’s really important for the kids to know that they, too, can do anything they put their minds to.

“They have an opportunity to do something really special,” Liner said, adding her supervisors felt it was important for her to be there. Windham Superintendent of Schools Ana Ortiz told the students that if they have an idea they should stay focused on it.

“You can do it and no one can stop you,” said Ortiz, who joined the Air Force Reserves when she was 34 years old.

In the end, it doesn’t matter if there are people in the way, you need to make sure you believe in yourselves, said Ortiz.

Acting Windham Fire Chief Mark Scrivener reminded the students that they all have a special talent.

“You may not know what your talent is yet, but you all have one,” said Scrivener, who started as a volunteer firefighter in 1987. “You have a lot of time to figure out what you want to do and when you get here, to college, that is when you need to figure out what you need to do.”

The students were able to meet an author and artist in smaller, separate groups in rooms nearby.

Published author Kimberly Newton Fusco, who had a speech impediment while growing up said she was glad that she could be there. “I was speechless when I was younger,” she said. “Any opportunity for a young person to visit a college campus is invaluable.”

Newton Fusco read the students a short story about when she was in third grade with her speech impediment and took questions.

The students were also able to meet professional musician and artist, Bill Dougal.

Dougal sang songs, drew pictures and told the students that it’s important for them to be culturally aware of the things around them Being modest, Dougal said that he, himself wasn’t a hero. “But I can draw one,” he said.

Lunch for the students was postponed a bit, because the students asked the panel so many ques­tions.

“I didn’t think they would have asked that many questions,” Taylor said, who wished that every student could have gotten a chance to ask a question. “They all had great questions.”

The students ate lunch in one of ECSU’s student cafés, almost making them a college student for the day.