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(Hartford, Conn.) Fifteen students at Bloomfield’s CREC Metropolitan Learning Center for Global and International Studies (MLC) are taking action as global citizens. They’re going to Puerto Rico to help homeowners repair roofs that were damaged by Hurricane Maria in September. And they raised the money for their trip and supplies in a most unusual way. They launched a fundraising website that sells socks! The students, in grades 8 through 12, along with school staff, will arrive in Puerto Rico on February 25 to start their task. They’re also taking medical supplies, school supplies, food, clothing, flashlights, and batteries purchased through their sock sales or donated. The initiative was all student-generated - from the original idea, to making their sock-selling website, to booking the flight. Their trip comes at a crucial moment in Puerto Rico's recovery because large numbers of people are still without reliable sources of food and water and in need of permanent shelter. "We want to show the people of Puerto Rico that they are not forgotten," said Alison Jamin, MLC school counselor. "This is the kind of learning we're involved in at MLC. It is part of our school mission to help others in times of need by to taking action and being part of the solution,” he said. “By serving in the best interest of others, this is what makes us global citizens." You can “Rock some Socks for Puerto Rico” by purchasing a three-pack at https://my.wehelptwo.com/campaign?reset=1&id=757 or by visiting one of MLC’s School Open Houses on Wednesday, February 21 at 6 p.m. or Thursday, February 22 at 6 p.m. You may also donate supplies. MLC is located at 1511 Blue Hills Ave.###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966. Working with and for its member districts, CREC has developed a wide array of cost-effective and high-quality programs and services to meet the educational needs of children and adults in the region. CREC brings nearly five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changing needs of school districts and their students, corporations, non-profits, and individual professions. CREC regularly serves 36 towns in Greater Hartford, offering more than 120 programs to more than 150,000 students annually. CREC manages more than 35 facilities throughout the area, including 16 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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(Hartford, Conn.) The boys and girls teams from CREC Academy of Science and Innovation, New Britain, both took first place at the Capitol Region Athletic League Indoor Track Championships on Sunday, January 28, at Hartford Public High School. They competed against worthy opponents from CREC Academy of Aerospace and Engineering, Windsor, CREC Metropolitan Learning Center for Global and International Studies, Bloomfield, PSA Civic Leadership High School, Enfield, and Parish Hill High School, Chaplin. ###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966. Working with and for its member districts, CREC has developed a wide array of cost-effective and high-quality programs and services to meet the educational needs of children and adults in the region. CREC brings nearly five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changing needs of school districts and their students, corporations, non-profits, and individual professions. CREC regularly serves 36 towns in Greater Hartford, offering more than 120 programs to more than 150,000 students annually. CREC manages more than 35 facilities throughout the area, including 16 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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(Hartford, Conn.) Four students from CREC Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts High School, Hartford, were recently awarded for their artwork and writing by the Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art Awards program. This juried event recognized only the state’s best student work in many art media categories. Two students received the highest honor of Gold keys. Two were awarded to junior Zackary Sladek of Stafford Springs for his photography. A Gold key, two Silver keys, and two honorable mentions went to senior Madison Culpepper of Torrington in the Writing category. Both Culpepper’s and Sladek’s Gold key work will go on to national judging in New York City in March. If they receive gold medals there, their work will be exhibited in New York and they’ll be honored at a ceremony at Carnegie Hall in June. Two other students also received awards. A Silver key went to senior Haley Royal of Farmington for Drawing. Gabrielle Clifone of Torrington received an honorable mention in Ceramics. The students’ work competed with more than 1,500 entries from students in 150 public, parochial, and private schools. Just 683 works were accepted for an exhibit entitled “Celebrating the Creative Spirit of Connecticut Youth” at the University of Hartford. From that accepted number, there were 259 Gold key awards (including 67 Gold portfolios), 197 Silver keys, and 225 Honorable Mention awards. Awards were announced on January 28 at the university’s Lincoln Theater.The 27th annual Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art Awards was the largest juried student art exhibition in the state. An affiliate of the National Scholastic Art Awards and The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, this national program was originated to honor the creative efforts of grade 7 to 12 students in public, private, and parochial schools. It is the largest and most senior program of its type in the country. The goal is to recognize and encourage talented visual artists from across the state. ###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966. Working with and for its member districts, CREC has developed a wide array of cost-effective and high-quality programs and services to meet the educational needs of children and adults in the region. CREC brings nearly five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changing needs of school districts and their students, corporations, non-profits, and individual professions. CREC regularly serves 36 towns in Greater Hartford, offering more than 120 programs to more than 150,000 students annually. CREC manages more than 35 facilities throughout the area, including 16 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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(Hartford, Conn.) Marissa Guzzo, a graduating senior at CREC Greater Hartford Academy of Mathematics and Science, Windsor, and Suffield High School, is one of more than 4,500 candidates in the 2018 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. The candidates were selected from nearly 3.6 million students expected to graduate from U.S. high schools in 2018. Marissa is the daughter of Paul and Kim Guzzo, Suffield.A distinguished panel of educators will review the submissions and select 600 semifinalists in early April. The Commission on Presidential Scholars, a group of up to 32 eminent citizens whom the President appoints, will choose the finalists. The U.S. Department of Education will then announce the Presidential Scholars in May. The scholars will be invited to Washington, D.C. for several days in June to receive the Presidential Scholars Medallion at a White House-sponsored ceremony. They will also participate in events and enrichment activities through the National Recognition Program.The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 by Executive Order of the President to recognize some of our nation’s most distinguished graduating seniors for their accomplishments in many areas: academic success, leadership, and service to school and community. It was expanded in 1979 to recognize students demonstrating exceptional scholarship and talent in the visual, creative, and performing arts. In 2015, the program was expanded once again to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical fields. Annually, up to 161 U.S. Presidential Scholars are chosen from among that year’s senior class, representing excellence in education and the promise of greatness in America’s youth.###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966. Working with and for its member districts, CREC has developed a wide array of cost-effective and high-quality programs and services to meet the educational needs of children and adults in the region. CREC brings nearly five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changing needs of school districts and their students, corporations, non-profits, and individual professions. CREC regularly serves 36 towns in Greater Hartford, offering more than 120 programs to more than 150,000 students annually. CREC manages more than 35 facilities throughout the area, including 16 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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(Hartford, Conn.) PSA Civic Leadership High School (PSA-CLHS) students are excited to be the recipients of a recently donated fire truck from the town of South Windsor and the South Windsor Fire Department. Now they’ll have access to hands-on experience in many aspects of fire service training that the Enfield school offers, such as pump operations, calculation of pump pressures and friction loss, fire suppression operations, and fire behavior. The ability to teach these skills will help to make the school’s theme classes, which include Fire Science, Chemistry, Intro to Fire and EMS, and Forensics more authentic. Fire Chief Kevin Cooney, a 35-year veteran of the South Windsor Fire Department, sees the donation as an excellent way to interest students in careers in fire service. “Donating the truck keeps it useful. Young adults can learn from it and perhaps join the fire service,” he said. Cooney said the idea to donate the older truck to PSA-CLHS was a combination of factors. Several of the town’s firefighters are graduates and two of the school’s students are part of the department’s explorer program. With the town’s support, donating the truck seemed like a natural extension of the department’s longstanding relationship with the school.According to Principal Jeff Larson, “I’m excited for the students and forever grateful to the town of South Windsor and the South Windsor Fire Department for the donation,” he said. “This is another example of ways that our school theme is brought to life in the classroom for our students.” He said having the truck makes it possible for the school to add more theme courses in the future. It may also be used to recruit students. Joe Jarvis, a PSA-CLHS fire science instructor and retired firefighter, agrees. “To have a working fire truck at the school is a way to inspire students,” he said. “Fire service is a great career. Now I get to train the next generation of firefighters. Having the truck here can change lives.”###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966. Working with and for its member districts, CREC has developed a wide array of cost-effective and high-quality programs and services to meet the educational needs of children and adults in the region. CREC brings nearly five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changing needs of school districts and their students, corporations, non-profits, and individual professions. CREC regularly serves 36 towns in Greater Hartford, offering more than 120 programs to more than 150,000 students annually. CREC manages more than 35 facilities throughout the area, including 16 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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Thanks to Goya Foods, Inc. and its Goya Gives campaign, displaced families served by Hartford’s the Centro de Ayuda Para Nuestros Amigos Caribeños (Relief Center for our Caribbean Friends) had a reason to celebrate the new year. In late December, Goya donated 2,000 pounds of food to the center’s food pantry. "We couldn’t think of a better way to show our support of the Hartford community than by donating 2,000 pounds of food to the Capitol Region Education Council,” said Rafael Toro, director of public relations of Goya Foods. “We want to welcome many of the families arriving to Hartford, who have been displaced from Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands with hope and a warm meal.” The Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) manages the relief center, which opened on Nov. 1. It has already served more than 1,300 people who have relocated to the Hartford region from Puerto Rico and the Caribbean islands as the result of last fall’s hurricanes. “Arriving families are turning to the relief center in increasing numbers for access to food and clothing, social services, jobs and job search assistance, transportation, and educational resources,” said Greg J. Florio, CREC’s executive director.“There is no charge for these services, which are all on-site.” The Latino Endowment Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving was instrumental in securing the generous donation from Goya Foods. "I am honored to have facilitated this donation to CREC, as the timing of its arrival is essential,” said Moraima Gutierrez, Steering Committee Chair, Latino Endowment Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. “Our Puerto Rican and other Caribbean island friends need our support locally. These GOYA products represent nutrition, comfort, and familiarity to our folks. We are most grateful to have established these contacts at a national level and to have leveraged them with our local philanthropic efforts." Volunteers from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving’s Latino Endowment Fund’s Giving Circle and CREC staff were on hand to unload the truck, which Luna Relocation LLC in East Hartford donated.About GOYA: Founded in 1936, Goya Foods, Inc. is America’s largest Hispanic-owned food company, and has established itself as the leader in Latin American food and condiments. Goya manufactures, packages, and distributes over 2,500 high-quality food products from Spain, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America. Goya products have their roots in the culinary traditions of Hispanic communities around the world; Goya’s combination of authentic ingredients, robust seasonings, and convenient preparation make Goya products ideal for every taste and every table. For more information on Goya Foods, please visit www.goya.com###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966. Working with and for its member districts, CREC has developed a wide array of cost-effective and high-quality programs and services to meet the educational needs of children and adults in the region. CREC brings nearly five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changing needs of school districts and their students, corporations, non-profits, and individual professions. CREC regularly serves 36 towns in Greater Hartford, offering more than 120 programs to more than 150,000 students annually. CREC manages more than 35 facilities throughout the area, including 16 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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(Hartford, Conn.) More than 100 partygoers braved the record cold on Jan. 6 to celebrate “Three Kings Day” at the Centro de Ayuda Para Nuestros Amigos Caribeños (Relief Center for our Caribbean Friends) at 15 Van Dyke Ave., Hartford. Cultura Mosaica, Inc. and DJ Jason Nieves provided the dance music and hungry guests enjoyed a holiday feast served by volunteers from the Department of Correction. Best of all, were the presents the kids received, which Southern Connecticut State University students wrapped. The free, all-volunteer event was coordinated by the Capitol Region Education Council, which manages the relief center. Since it opened on Nov. 1, it has provided free services to more than 1,300 people who have relocated to the Hartford region from Puerto Rico and the Caribbean islands as the result of last fall’s hurricanes. ###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966. Working with and for its member districts, CREC has developed a wide array of cost-effective and high-quality programs and services to meet the educational needs of children and adults in the region. CREC brings nearly five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changing needs of school districts and their students, corporations, non-profits, and individual professions. CREC regularly serves 36 towns in Greater Hartford, offering more than 120 programs to more than 150,000 students annually. CREC manages more than 35 facilities throughout the area, including 16 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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