Sections

Neighborhoods

Features

Follow Us

NHI Newsletter

Some Favorite Sites

Government/ Community Links

“Class of 2026” Gets Started

by Melissa Bailey | Sep 4, 2009 3:27 pm

(2) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author

Posted to: Schools, The Hill

IMG_5423.jpgOn their first day of kindergarten, students at John Daniels School got a book and a message from the mayor: “I’ll see you at your college graduation.”

The event Friday morning with Mayor John DeStefano at the bilingual K-8 school on Congress Avenue was the next in a series of school pride events designed to put into action the tenets of a school reform initiative.

The focus, in the words of schools chief Reggie Mayo: “There’s no other option but college.”

To send that message home, teachers dressed in the clothes of their college alma maters. The school’s 56 kindergarten students got star treatment akin to a graduation ceremony, with applause from older students as they walked to a courtyard auditorium. The young ones wore clapboard hats that read “Class of 2026” and T-shirts reading “future college graduate.”

Mayo jumped on a stage in front of a crowd of parents and students and held up a book, Two Mice In A Boat. (“That’s my favorite book,” the mayor said.) Mayo laid out his expectations.

“Boys and girls, we want you to be successful,” Mayo said. “The way that you do that, is … you have to read, read, and continue reading if you want to be — what? — successful.”

“You need to turn the TV off and — what? — read, read, read,” he said. “If you read, you will go to college, and you will be successful.”

College graduates live longer and earn more, DeStefano noted.

Many of the kindergarten students are off to a good start: 95 percent are arriving at school this year with preparation from pre-kindergarten classes, officials said.

Mayo urged parents to set up a “corridor of excellence” for their young ones, to continue these expectations at home.

With that, the kindergarteners walked off to their first day of what officials hoped would be a 17-year journey to a college degree.

Some previous stories about New Haven’s school reform drive:

• Principal Keeps School On The Move
• With National Push, Reform Talks Advance
• Nice New School! Now Do Your Homework
• Mayo Unveils Discipline Plan
• Mayor Launches “School Change” Campaign
• Reform Drive Snags “New Teacher” Team
• Can He Work School Reform Magic?
• Some Parental Non-Involvement Is OK, Too
• Mayor: Close Failing Schools
• Union Chief: Don’t Blame The Teachers
• 3-Tiered School Reform Comes Into Focus
• At NAACP, Mayo Outlines School Reform
• Post Created To Bring In School Reform
• Board of Ed Assembles Legal Team

Share this story with others.

Share |

Post a Comment

Comments

posted by: What on September 4, 2009  9:39pm

Wow,

Sounds like Amistad Academy, the very folks DeStefano and Mayo fought for several years. Glad they finally came around to the light. I guess sitting on their Board of Directors has taught the King a thing or two. Now, let’s try to suck up that federal money (he says with sarcasm)

posted by: Amistad Mom on September 23, 2009  10:24am

Wow indeed! It’s like when Columbus “discovered” the world!!! Whatever!!! It took NHPS 10 years to finally catch up to Achievement First, it will be another 10 before they close their acheivement gap! I wish [Mayo and DeStefano] many more ‘a-ha’ moments to celebrate.

get ANDI

Events Calendar

loading…

SeeClickFix »

no right on red traffic sign to turn right on to to Brewery ST.
May 24, 2012 9:04 pm
Address: Intersection Of Brewery St And Sargent Drive New Haven, CT
Rating: 1

There is a no turn on red sigh=n. for the right hand turn on to...

more »
Burnt out or shorting bulb
May 24, 2012 7:33 pm
Address: 158 Porter St. New Haven, CT
Rating: 2

Street lamp doesn't come on at night.

Flyerboard

Sponsors

N.H.I. Site Design & Development

smartpill design