Emily Hays Photo
Nazareth Vyraven: I like to give students something of their own.
Nazareth Vyraven is on a mission: To give a new backpack and two new face masks to every student in the schools that surround her Dwight church.
As a long-time substitute teacher in the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS), Vyraven has long seen students leave their papers at school or on the bus because they don’t have a bag to put them in.
An this fall, those students will also have to weather a sharp economic recession and public health crisis caused by Covid-19.
“I’d like to give them something that’s theirs,” Vyraven recently told the Independent.
So Vyraven mobilized her fellow congregants in the Dwight-based Church of God and Saints of Christ to pull together enough money to buy 200 new backpacks and school supplies.
She laid out the rainbow selection of bags last Wednesday in front of her church’s Beer Street entrance.
Meanwhile, her fellow congregant Carolyn Reyes (pictured above with pastor Jerald Barber) wrapped up the last day of the church’s weekly hot dog giveaway. The church gives out 40 to 60 hot dogs a week to whatever neighborhood children come by as part of a 100-year tradition of giving out food, Reyes said.
Although a few passersby requested backpacks Wednesday, the display was more for photography purposes than distribution.
Vyraven plans to distribute the backpacks directly through the principals of Augusta Lewis Troup School, Barnard Environmental Studies Magnet School and the Amistad Academy elementary and middle schools.
The bags serve another purpose besides for cheer for students and filling budget gaps for families. Tucked into each backpack is a set of two cloth, washable masks, courtesy of the New Haven Police Department.
Dwight top cop Lt. John Healy explained that the police substations have divided up a huge donation of cloth masks and are giving them out at community initiatives like this one.
The masks are white, which means students can draw on the masks to customize them, Vyraven said.
The masks help solve an urgent question on the minds of the New Haven Public Schools Board of Education: How can public schools keep students safe even if one of their classmates has Covid-19? After advocacy from board member and pediatrician Tamiko Jackson-McArthur, and with the help of the state, the district has decided to provide face masks to students.
Students at the two Amistad Academy schools, which are part of the Achievement First charter network, are already slated to receive two cloth face masks each.
Elementary and middle schoolers at Amistad Academy will have access to in-person classes on Sept. 21, according to the nonprofit’s plans. NHPS students will need to wait until November for in-person classes, unless board members see further evidence that all of their safety concerns have been taken care of, the Board of Education reaffirmed last Monday.
Ideas bubbled from Vyraven’s lips as she looked at the bright bags. She has bought 200 so far, but her goal is 500 … for each school, she said.
Board of Alders President and West River Alder Tyisha Walker-Myers (left), Dwight Alder Frank Douglass (center) …
… and Edgewood Alder Evette Hamilton (left) have pledged their support to the backpack effort. Hamilton said that, for example, Edgewood has money set aside for a block party that will not happen this year. That money could go towards buying more backpacks.
Vyraven chose backpacks in solid colors to accommodate children who can’t have characters on their bags for cultural or religious reasons.
The longterm sub is worried about what will happen to preschool, kindergarten and special needs students during this fall’s remote classes.
“It’s good for children in pre‑K and kindergarten to see someone every day, and you can see if they are tired, hungry or having a problem at home. That you can’t see on a screen,” Vyraven said.
Vyraven recalled teaching students with autism to develop routines in her class last year. One of her nonverbal students even responded to her once with a “yes,” to Vyraven’s amazement. She is not sure what happened to all of that progress once school buildings closed in March.
“It’s going to be tough. That’s going to be a setback for those already set back,” Vyraven said. “I do miss them. We’ll see what happens.”
To contribute to Vyraven’s backpack initiative, contact her at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Thank you to all the people who contributed and organized this event. When people come together to find solutions to problems, and to help their communities, the whole community is stronger and richer for it. A new backpack, school supplies and PPE will help children feel excited about school this fall.