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(Hartford, CT) To help Connecticut educators better serve students with specific learning disability/dyslexia, CREC’s Technical Assistance and Brokering Services Division brought Fulbright Scholar Susan Lowell to Connecticut.The two-day workshop was held in May, and it was Lowell’s second appearance in Connecticut this year. Dyslexia is classified as a learning disability under state and federal special education law, and it is characterized by one’s impairment to read, write, spell, and in severe cases, speak. Often misunderstood, it is not a sign of low intelligence or low motivation, but CREC’s Alison Cianciolo says that educators must conduct comprehensive evaluations to determine the best educational plans for students with specific learning disability/dyslexia.During Lowell’s workshops, participants learned about effective identification and instruction for individuals with specific learning disability/dyslexia. Severity can be from a mild difficulty with spelling to a significant disability in reading. Of students with learning disabilities, 80 percent have reading disabilities, and based on the findings of Sally Shaywitz’s research at Yale University, 1 in 5 have dyslexia. Lowell says that Connecticut has progressive laws that are designed to ensure that students with specific learning disability/dyslexia are identified early and receive appropriate instruction. CREC’s specific learning disability/dyslexia workshops are a direct result of Public Law 14-39, which was signed by Connecticut’s governor in 2014.Offered through CREC, Lowell’s workshops taught participants that students with specific learning disability/dyslexia need explicit, systematic, cumulative, and direct instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Participants also learned how to make decisions in their own districts about services for students with specific learning disability/dyslexia through discussion, exploration of resources, and examination of case studies. “It was a great day,” said Simonne Lamothe, an employee of Killingly Public Schools who attended the May workshop. “This conference is invaluable. Every Connecticut teacher should take this training.” For those interested in learning more about specific learning disability/dyslexia, contact Lisa Fiano at 860-712-3897, or lfiano@crec.org.###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966 and is celebrating 50 years of academic excellence. 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 five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changings 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 18 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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(East Hartford, CT) CREC Two Rivers Magnet Middle School recently helped set a world record. The Connecticut State BioBlitz was held at the school June 3 and June 4, and CREC Two Rivers Magnet Middle School students joined members of the public and more than 170 scientists as they collected and identified 2,765 different animals, plants, and other species in Greater Hartford. The previous world record was 2,519 species in a 24-hour period. Each year, more than 200 BioBlitz events are held throughout the country. CREC Two Rivers Magnet Middle School, located on the bank of the Connecticut River, served as the Connecticut event’s home base this year and its hub for public programming.“We were thrilled to host this amazing educational event,” said CREC Two Rivers Magnet Middle School Principal Jill Wnuk. “We are a magnet school with an environmental theme, and we believe in providing our students with hands-on opportunities to learn about our ecosystem.”During BioBlitz, ornithologists logged 100 species, including bald eagles and peregrine falcons, and biologists recorded 29 species of fish, mostly from the Connecticut and Hockanum rivers. Botanists counted 631 different plants, 1,316 species of insects were catalogued, and a black bear was spotted at Keney Park. “The discovery of more than 2,760 kinds of wildlife, all within a 5.5 mile radius of downtown Hartford/East Hartford, surprised all of the event’s participants,” said David Wagner, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, director of the Center for Conservation and Biodiversity at UConn, and the event’s lead scientist and director. “We live in a wonderful area of the country, infused with extraordinary arrays of plants, birds, insects, and other wildlife which in sum, we can thank for our clean water and air, fertile soils, and foods. The event’s remarkable findings underscored what amazing wildlife can be found just outside one’s backdoor in Connecticut, and the opportunities that we have as residents for recreation, for education, for discovery.” While Saturday’s activities were open to the public, Friday’s activities were only for select middle and high school students who were accepted into the BioBlitz Jr. Scientist Program, including 14-year-old Jenna Langevin, of Hebron, and 12-year-old Rachel Dunnery, of Rocky Hill. Both are CREC Two Rivers Magnet Middle School students, and they said they were excited to be part of the program and to learn from scientists.In addition to CREC Two Rivers Magnet Middle School, BioBlitz organizers included UConn’s Center for Conservation and Biodiversity, State Museum of Natural History, and ecology and evolutionary biology department; the Connecticut Science Center; and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The event was made possible by a grant from the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. CREC Two Rivers Magnet Middle School is a science and technology-based learning community for students in grades six, seven, and eight. In April, it was one of only three Connecticut schools to be named a Green Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. The schools were honored for reducing environmental impact and utility costs, improving health and wellness, and ensuring effective sustainability education. Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy issued a press release announcing the honor.“As a school community, we care about our environment and the many species who share our space with us,” Wnuk said. “We do everything we can to learn about it and preserve it.”###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966 and is celebrating 50 years of academic excellence. 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 five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changings 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 18 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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(New Britain, CT) This school year, Smith Elementary School in New Britain benefited from more than 30 days of technology training and development courtesy of CREC’s Division of Data Analysis, Research and Technology. In a Smith Elementary School flexible resource room, students used Osmo, an educational game system for the Apple iPad that can help students with spelling and enhance certain subject areas. Another classroom used QR codes and digital devices to help with various phonics and writing concepts, and they used the Seesaw Learning Journal app to capture and document their learning through videos, photos, and audio recording, creating a digital portfolio. “The technology is amazing,” said Malyka Henderson, a flexible resource room teacher. “It meets many needs and supports students where they are and truly engages them.”Ratosha McBride, an education technology specialist for CREC, used the Curriculum Revision Infusing Technology model to guide an intensive training process. This model is strategically designed to support student symmetric growth and change through the infusion of technology into teaching and learning. A key component in this process comes through modeling, coaching, and continued support and guidance. New Britain’s teachers and students benefited greatly from the step-by-step approach. In many instances, McBride instructed while the classroom teachers and paraprofessionals observed, learning along with the students. This made teachers feel less anxious about incorporating technology into their classrooms, and they gained confidence and proficiency when using electronic devices. Because of the training, a team of teachers at Smith Elementary School is now charged with the task of ensuring that the school continues to utilize technology in creative and helpful ways. They will provide professional development for staff, will assist students when they use technology, and will receive ongoing training to stay informed of new tools, resources, and strategies.To learn more about the Curriculum Revision Infusing Technology model, visit www.crec.org/curit. ###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966 and is celebrating 50 years of academic excellence. 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 five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changings 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 18 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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(Hartford, CT) Students enrolled in the creativity in the community course at CREC’s Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts High School have been busy sharing their artwork with others.Under the instruction of Nancy Doherty, students develop an appreciation for the arts within both the school community and the larger Hartford community. During the course, students look at websites for museums around the world and study specific works to learn about design, composition, and color. They also collaborate to learn how images, word, dance, and music can benefit and enhance other art forms. This year, students participated in the Global Art Project, a program that allowed them to share art with students from India. CREC’s students made collages out of tissue paper to illustrate their personal ideas of peace. The designs were later made into a large prayer flag and sent to student artists in India. In return, the students in India will send a gift to CREC. Creativity in the community students also painted clay garden pots for this year’s Center for Children’s Advocacy Spring for Kids event and wrote short messages in each. The pots were table centerpieces at the event, which was held this month at Infinity Hall in Hartford, and they were auctioned off at the end of the evening. As the school year comes to a close, students are working hard to complete another final project. They are painting scenes of Hartford for the dining room at Avery Heights, a local senior living facility. The paintings will be professionally framed and then installed in the dining room. An art opening will be held on June 3 to mark the occasion. ###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966 and is celebrating 50 years of academic excellence. 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 five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changings 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 18 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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(Hartford, CT) Aleema Kelly, a sixth-grade student at CREC’s Montessori Magnet School, won first place at the elementary school level in the Letters about Literature national essay contest. The annual reading and writing contest is sponsored by The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and is for students in grades four through 12. Students read a book, poem, or speech. They are then asked to write a letter to that author about how the literature affected them personally. The letters are judged at both the state and national levels. Kelly, of Hartford, wrote her letter about “George” to author Alex Gino, and her writing will soon be published on http://read.gov/letters. She will also receive a $1,000 prize and a congratulatory letter from the Library of Congress. This is Kelly’s second Letters about Literature honor. Last year, she won the essay contest for Connecticut at the elementary school level and received a $100 reward, but did not place at the national level. “We are so proud of Aleema’s amazing accomplishment,” said Principal Antonio Napoleone. “To win a national contest is not easy, and our entire school is celebrating her success.”###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966 and is celebrating 50 years of academic excellence. 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 five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changings 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 18 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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(Hartford, CT) Over the next few months, 28 local teachers will earn their special education endorsements—a welcoming statistic for many Connecticut school districts. There is a great need for special education teachers in Connecticut, and CREC's Advanced Alternate Route to Certification program aims to both supply schools with the staff they need and support teachers as they explore new career opportunities. The Connecticut State Department of Education is required by state statute to announce teacher shortage areas every year, and kindergarten through grade 12 comprehensive special education has made the list for more than 10 years. Each year, school districts, such as Norwalk, have a difficult time finding a sufficient number of special education teachers to cover their vacancies.“It is common knowledge across the state that special education teachers are at a premium,” said Michael Cicchetti, interim operations director for Norwalk Public Schools. “Traditional recruitment efforts are no longer effective in yielding a pool of qualified candidates.”CREC's Advanced Alternate Route to Certification program helps districts like Norwalk, Bridgeport, and the Connecticut Junior Republic by partnering with them to help their teachers develop the skills they need to become certified in special education. School districts pay the Advanced Alternative Route to Certification's tuition. In return, teachers who go through the Advanced Alternate Route to Certification program agree to remain employed by their districts as special education teachers for a certain period of time. Eligible candidates for the Advanced Alternate Route to Certification program can also apply without the support of a school district. If accepted, these individuals spend 12 to 14 months engrossed in a rigorous, portfolio-based program that aligns with state and national special education standards. “The Advanced Alternate Route to Certification program helped me to expand my work responsibilities in my teaching position at the time and reach my goal to become a special education teacher," said Jill Horan, a preschool special education teacher at Region 12 Public Schools. "I feel that graduates of the program are self-motivated individuals who are interested in expanding their knowledge about special education. The final portfolio is proof that the graduate is a hard worker who is determined and motivated to succeed.”Like individual teachers, school districts, such as Ellington, are also pleased with the Advanced Alternate Route to Certification program and its benefits. “I have been fortunate to hire and retain four graduates from the Advanced Alternate Route to Certification program," said Kristy LePorte, director of special services in Ellington. "All four candidates came to our district with a high-level skill set in the area of developing quality IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) based on the individual needs of each student. The teachers are skillful in reading and math instruction with knowledge in multiple progress monitoring tools to ensure student growth is consistently reviewed. Moreover, our Advanced Alternate Route to Certification teachers have been asked to present to other teachers on the development of goals and objectives based on present levels of academic achievement and functional performance." In June, while it celebrates the success of its current teachers, the Advanced Alternate Route to Certification program will accept new candidates for next school year’s cohort. For more information, visit www.crec.org/aarc, or contact Sonya Kunkel at skunkel@crec.org.###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966 and is celebrating 50 years of academic excellence. 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 five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changings 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 18 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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(Enfield, CT) Khahari Mangual, a senior student-athlete at CREC’s Public Safety Academy, was recently named both Youth of the Year by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hartford and Connecticut Youth of the Year.“Khahari is a sharp young man,” said CREC Public Safety Academy Principal Jeff Larson. “He has been able to master being a great citizen, student, and athlete, but more importantly, he is a great person. CREC’s Public Safety Academy is so proud of his accomplishments and looks forward to him changing the world as he embarks on his collegiate journey.”Mangual, who lives in East Hartford, is an honor roll student, and he accepted his award at the organization’s annual gala, delivering an acceptance speech to an audience of more than 500 people. He received a standing ovation.In addition to diligently pursuing his studies, Mangual has served as captain of both the CREC Public Safety Academy baseball and basketball teams, earning all-league honors. He was also captain of the CREC Colts football team. “CREC Athletics has given me the opportunity to serve as a captain in three varsity sports,” Mangual said. “The discipline and leadership skills that I have gained, I will use for the rest of my life.”CREC Athletic Director Jonathan Winer says the primary goal of CREC’s sports program is to promote the overall growth of CREC students into young adults. “Khahari is a perfect example of an individual who grew into a leader on and off of the athletic playing field,” he said. “We are very proud of his development and are excited to see the amazing contributions he will make to society as he moves on to the next stage of his life.”Mangual started going to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hartford when he was 6. He now volunteers for the organization, and he’s participated in several of its programs, including a financial literacy program and the Keystone Club, a teen leadership and service program.“The Boys and Girls Clubs of Hartford is MY safe haven,” Mangual said. “It is where I find safety and comfort and escape the troubles in my home.”Due to his hard work and persistence, Mangual will attend college next fall. He hopes to become a lawyer.###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966 and is celebrating 50 years of academic excellence. 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 five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changings 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 18 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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