Back-To-School Bash Showcases Conte Pride

Seventh graders Malaysia Bowden, A’mya Foust, and Sophia Quinones were quick to agree that science was their favorite subject. Thanks to their teacher Mr. E, also known as Cecil Royal Estes III, they weren’t just learning about electrons at Conte West — but also about emotional regulation skills with his lessons, ​“Mindfulness with Mr. E.”

The seventh graders were a few of the many students and parents and staffers to show up at Conte West Hill Magnet School Back to School Bash last Wednesday night at the school’s Wooster Square campus at 511 Chapel St. 

The event served as a way for families to get to know Conte school and staff with games and activities for children such as face painting, bouncy houses, and siren demonstrations from the New Haven Police Department.

Watching the festivities on the sidelines were 13-year-old eighth graders Anya Jones and Eileena Fisher.

“I only came here to support my school, to show up and see everything, what they had done, and it actually looks nice,” Anya said.

In comparison to Eilenna who has received all of her schooling at Conte, Anya was experiencing her second and last year at Conte, moving to Connecticut last year from New York.

“It [the transition to Conte] was really good. I was kind of sad about it at first but then it turned out good,” she said. 

Now the girls are trying to savor their last year of middle school all while preparing for new lives in high school, with their top choices being Eli Whitney Technical HIgh School or Platt Technical High School for cosmetology. 

Eileena has already dipped her toes in the water, and started practicing doing nails in 2022. She hopes to be self-employed as a nail technician in the future and own her own practice. 

“It’s kind of nice. Like, it’s actually something I really want to do,” she said. 

With a half-eaten ice-cream sandwich in one hand, fifth grade math teacher Dennis Bellamy stood alert, ready to greet the impatient students who would dash towards him for a hug.

With this being his second year teaching at Conte, Bellamy, 37, feels like he’s mastered the ropes and learned ​“the Conte way” from his first year. His acclimation to the environment now comes with new responsibilities, teaching 65 kids compared to the 22 he taught the year prior.

“I never thought I could love kids as much as I loved my first class but this year, I have three classes,” he said. ​“My heart is open and I’m just embracing everybody.

Bellamy’s goals for his class are to surpass district scores for math for the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) test and to compete with other high performing schools.

While his kids learn and grow, Bellamy is reaching educational milestones of his own, finishing up his doctorate in Educational Leadership at Liberty University and getting cross-endorsed for special education.

“I’m here to really impact a kid’s life in a very short period of time, hopefully for the rest of their life,” he said.

While the family lives in West Haven, Glenda and Joshua Flores chose to send their kids Gabrielle and Giana to Conte through the ACES program, after hearing highly about the New Haven Public Schools district.

“I have my nephews who are going to UConn now. They graduated from here, and they had a lot of teachers from Conte,” she said. ​“I’m hoping that my daughters do the same: finish here and go to UConn.”

Glenda said that she’s excited about the school year after seeing interior renovations of the school and enforcement of uniform policy.

“I feel like the principal now is holding everybody accountable for it, which is good for all the students and the parents too,” she said.

Cherrelle Eaton, a GI tech at Yale New Haven Hospital, is currently helping her eldest daughter decide on high schools. With her daughter wanting to focus on art and the medical field, their top choices are Career High School and Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School.

Being a part of Conte’s first graduating class of 2001, Eaton, 37, found it imperative to send her kids to the same place where she grew up.

“Some of the teachers that’s here, actually was my teachers,” she said.

Another thing that draws her to Conte is the faculty leadership and after school activities for students.

“We’ve been at other schools where principals change like throughout the school year, and just the consistency [in leadership] is awesome,” she said.

Although Conte Principal Kenneasha Sloley only began her administrative position last year, she has already built a bond with students and their families.

Sloley, 44, founded the Back to School Bash in 2022 as a way to connect with students and families and welcome them into the new academic year.

“Here at Conte, we support all and when we say all we are supporting each and every student,” she said. ​“We have a very inclusive environment, we have very high expectations of excellence and we’re just going to work together just to make sure that everyone strives to the best of their ability to reach their highest potential.” 

Assistant Principal Thomas McCarthy, 53, echoed this sentiment. Conte has a special place in McCarthy’s heart, as he’s worked there for 23 years.

“From the parents to the teachers to just this whole community, the school community itself. It just seems like it’s just family and it’s hard to leave family,” he said.

Cecil Royal Estes III, who goes by ​“Mr. E” in the classroom, wants to teach students life lessons.

“When I was their age, nobody was teaching mindfulness and how to really self govern yourself and everything that goes on that,” he said. ​“You quite literally have to go to a therapist for [that], so I’m teaching the kids how to be their own therapy.”

Sophia, A’mya, and Malaysia have now internalized his lessons and had some advice to give to their underclassmen.

“Just work hard,” Sophia said, ​“and don’t be rude!”

“Don’t get into any drama,” Malaysia added. 

“Yeah, drama’s not worth it,” A’mya concluded.