July 11, 2012
EH, STATE OFFICIALS JOIN IN GOODWIN MAGNET SCHOOL GROUNDBREAKING
By Steven Crighton, Journal Inquirer
East Hartford and state officials joined Goodwin College staff Tuesday to celebrate the groundbreaking of the second of three planned magnet schools scheduled to open on the River Campus.
The construction of the 34,000-square-foot Goodwin College Early Childhood Magnet School is underway. School officials estimate that the $16 million facility should be finished in time to accept students for the 2013-14 academic year.
Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, Mayor Marcia A. Leclerc, State Sen. Gary D. LeBeau, D-East Hartford, and State Reps. Henry J. Genga, D-East Hartford, and Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, joined Goodwin President Mark E. Scheinberg in celebrating the event at the school’s future location on Willowbrook Road.
The school will draw students from throughout the Capitol Region and will enroll 240 children, 120 in pre-kindergarten and 120 in kindergarten. Enrollment will be reserved for 60 3-year-olds, 60 4-year-olds, and 120 kindergarten-aged children.
Students will be admitted by a lottery system, Goodwin’s Dean of Magnet Schools Alan Kramer said. Fifteen percent of the school’s slots will be reserved for children of Goodwin College students and employees, as well as for children of neighboring businesses.
Wyman said that Goodwin College is helping to foster the growth of the world’s most important commodity; future generations.
“Our children are the most important thing that we have, and if we all don’t work together — be it the educators, the government, the parents, and the teachers — if we don’t work together for our children, we will not accomplish anything,” Wyman said.
Wyman also stressed the critical nature of early childhood development.
“The earlier we educate our children, the more that they will learn, the more that they will succeed,” Wyman said.
Scheinberg thanked those who attended the event and everyone who has supported Goodwin College’s mission of improving education.
“We’re all part of the same community. People working to do the best we can in an economy, in a world, that’s less than plannable,” Scheinberg said. “Things change really fast, and you find that people of good heart and good spirit do well anyway.”