Many who have already visited the new website for the Weaver High School redesign www.weaver2019.com come away with a sense of hope and optimism for the future of North Hartford. The redesign process for the new Weaver High School is back on track, and design specs for the building look impressive.

But those who already “bleed Weaver” green know that a great school (like a great book) cannot always be judged solely by what is on the outside. In particular, the noteworthy history of Hartford’s Weaver High School speaks to a legacy of excellence that has not always been matched by external appearances and adequate funding. But, having benefitted from a strong foundation of community support and innovative programming, Weaver alumni will be the first to tell you that the quality of education found at the “old” Weaver was a beacon of hope for students in Harford’s North End – and the expectations for the new Weaver are even higher.

To the 11 Weaver High School graduates and faculty who participated in the June 26 alumni panel at the Journalism & Media Academy Magnet School in Hartford, the ethos of “Bleeding Green” is not just a source of identity and nostalgia; it is a foundation of values and experiences that they hope can also guide future generations of students as the construction and design of the new Weaver High School continues to take shape.

Ranging from Millennials in the early stages of their careers to recently retired Baby Boomers who still fondly thumb through their old yearbooks, the Weaver alumni panel was the mainstage event during the public portion of a “retreat workshop” for co-chairs of the Weaver Steering Committee and its Workgroups.  The alumni panel collectively taught the audience a well-received history lesson on how their years at Weaver impacted them and conveyed the importance of sustaining this impact at the “new” Weaver.

What It Means to “Bleed Green”

Weaver alumni issued a collective call for those planning the redesign of the new Weaver to truly “bleed green” and rebuild Weaver into the best high school that Hartford has to offer students. The retreat workshop was the latest in a dramatically improved community-led process that will result in a redesigned school (inside and out!) for the new Weaver High School built to better serve students in Hartford’s North End.

John Lobon (class of ’68) recalled that the sense of camaraderie and spirit among Weaver students and faculty created a cohesive community where everyone believed “We are one.” This level of pride motivated Lobon and his football teammates to travel the state and put “fear in the hearts” of their opponents, ultimately resulting in a state championship.

While athletics was a big source of pride and culture at Weaver, it was the quality of education delivered by dedicated teachers – many of whom lived in the community – and abundance of extracurricular activities that set up students for success.

Shontay Browdy (class of ’93) described how joining the Business Department and learning in Ms. Pruitt’s class how to underwrite insurance changed her life. Continuing her education beyond high school was never in doubt as her teachers and guidance counselors never asked if she was going to college, but where.

Former Hartford City Councilman Kyle Anderson (Class of ’80) remembered how his education extended beyond the classroom. As his classmates enjoyed participating in activities such as music, the performing arts, the school radio station and National Honors Society, it was having the chance to join Boys State – a leadership development program for those interested in government service – his junior year at the Coast Guard Academy that sparked his interest in politics.

Past members of the faculty who participated in the alumni panel remembered the commitment they gave to their students and to each other. Former Weaver teacher and alumnus Emily Noel (Class of ’75) has taught at seven other schools throughout her career but never felt the level of dedication among the faculty higher than during her years at Weaver. John Carr, a 35-year teacher veteran of Weaver High School, emotionally summed up the bonds developed between students and teachers: “At other [town’s] graduations, they shake hands. We hugged.”

Alumni can play a critical role in shaping the future of their school. Jason Farquharson (Class of ’99) – who serves as a member of the rapidly growing North End Organizing Task Force – explained the importance of Weaver alumni being actively involved in the future of Weaver: “We want to show students that you can definitely graduate from this school. Don’t worry about your circumstances. You can leave here, graduate, find a good job and come back.”

Other panelists weighed in on what is necessary at the new Weaver so that the next generation of students can also “bleed green” with pride.

Hartford Board of Education member and Director of the Department of Families, Children, Youth, and Recreation Kim Oliver (Class of ’92) emphasized the importance of designing a school to sustain the rich legacy and spirit of Weaver, a school where “opportunities abound” when she attended.

Current UConn Law student Ashley Daley (Class of ’08) stressed the importance of developing a rigorous academic program and culture to better prepare students for college.

Adding to that, Karraine Moody (Class of ’97) hoped the new Weaver focuses on the needs of the individual student where once he or she “walks in the door, they are treated the same and given the same opportunities.”

Former Weaver High School football coach Rob Fleeting (Class of ’88), who remembered the school as a “place of comfort” when he was a student, emphasized the importance of overall school camaraderie, an asset he hopes is not lost when the three separate academic academies are placed under one roof.

Jason Farquharson remembered that Weaver instilled in him a “pride of being great,” thanks to the dedicated teachers. In the new Weaver, he said, above all “We need teachers that are passionate and love us.”

Bottom Line

As Weaver High School goes through the redesign process, it is imperative that alumni continue to be viewed and engaged as passionate stakeholders who bring informed perspectives on what a quality educational experience should be for future students. (To view the current design plans for the school, visit www.weaver2019.com)

Alumni made it clear to all in attendance that the bar is high for the “new” Weaver, but all expressed confidence that, if the community-led process continues with strong partnerships and a laser-sharp focus on excellence and improving student development and outcomes, the Weaver Steering Committee can and will meet the challenge presented.

While each alumnus went through a unique experience at Weaver, all believed that it was the school’s culture of community that instilled the level of pride that survives to this day. For the new Weaver to be like the old Weaver, it is the community that must build it to last.

For more information on the new Weaver High School – and to sign up to get regular updates – please visit www.weaver2019.com.

“For those looking to help  remove the immense barriers stopping our children from succeeding in school and in life, understanding the impact of adverse childhood experiences is the first and most important step” – Paul Holzer

It didn’t take long after viewing the documentary, Resilience: The Biology of Stress & The Science of Hope, for Paul Diego Holzer to begin formulating ideas on how to push the movie’s message deeper into the Hartford community.

The movie Resilience reveals the science on how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) – such as being exposed to community violence, abuse, neglect, and even parental divorce – can alter brain development and have lifelong effects on health. The ACE Study – the largest public health study you never heard of — shows that childhood trauma is very, very common, cuts across socio-economic strata, and is now understood to be one of the leading causes of everything from heart disease and cancer to substance abuse and depression.

Educators are increasingly recognizing the importance of addressing ACEs because of proven negative impacts they have on students’ educational path to becoming successful in school and career. Bringing more insights on ACEs into the classroom will make a tremendous difference in the experience and outcomes of Hartford students.

As the builder of cross-sector coalitions, it has been easy for us over the past eight years to see how trauma in the lives of children and families is impacting the system as a whole.  The weight of extremely stressful experiences is something we all feel — from educators to social workers to advocates to policy makers to after school providers to those working in the Juvenile Justice system and healthcare providers.

How Can We Help?

Not really a spoiler alert, but the story doesn’t end with just the awareness of adverse childhood experiences; the aim is that there is something we can all do about trauma in our city.  At each stage of development from childhood to adulthood, there is appropriate support and care the community – not just healthcare providers – the whole community– can provide.

To start, we’re inviting you to a special screening of Resilience co-hosted with The Village, the Clifford Beers Clinic, the Collaboratory on School & Child Health, and Community First Charter School, which is building into their design a six-week teacher development program to build teacher capacity in understanding the widespread impact of trauma and the potential paths for healing.

The documentary screening will be followed by a panel discussion with:

Alice M. Forrester (Moderator)

Chief Executive Officer, Clifford Beers Clinic

Sandra M. Chafouleas 

Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor & Co-Director of the Collaboratory on School and Child Health, University of Connecticut

Timothy R. Goodwin

Executive Director Hartford City Mission, Founder of Community First School

Brother Kelvin Lovejoy

Youth & Community Advocate

Trudi Lebron

Founder and Director of Scriptflip!

Catherine G. Corto-Mergins

Director of Training and The Village Collaborative Trauma Center & MDFT Trainer & Consultant

Bottom Line

The film screening and panel discussion are free and open to all.

RESILIENCE: The Biology of Stress & The Science Hope

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

9:00am – 11:00am

Chrysalis Center

255 Homestead Avenue, Hartford, CT

Breakfast and ample parking provided

RSVP to: Luis Olmo-Rivera [email protected]

Please join us, and please RSVP!

The Hartford Board of Education Tuesday evening approved three new principals and two new administrators for key leadership posts in the District.  All have considerably deep experience; all have demonstrated deep commitments to Hartford schools.  What’s interesting is that each one is returning to her or his roots – to do the work at which they have excelled in the past.  That’s not a bad thing.

Here are the new appointments as recommended by Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez and approved by the Board:

Jose Colon was the protégé of retiring Principal John Laverty at the Sport and Medical Sciences Academy (SMSA), serving as the dean and assistant principal there; now he is going back to his roots at SMSA to lead that same principal’s office after serving as an executive principal over two schools at once – and then most recently as principal at the Law & Government Academy at Hartford Public High School.  According to Principal Colon, the key to institutional leadership is using a foundation of equity to make sure all students are achieving at a high level.  Principal Colon’s work on the superintendent search committee was a demonstration of his strong skills, Board Member and past Chair Richard Wareing noted.

Vivian Novo-MacDonald is a Montessori specialist, coming from a CREC magnet school and having a proven track record of success, Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez advised the Board Tuesday.  Now bound for the principal post at Annie Fisher Montessori Magnet School, this Bulkeley High graduate will bring 16 years of Montessori programming to Annie Fisher.

Incidentally – Ms. Novo-MacDonald’s husband is past Hartford Board of Education Chair and City Council Member David MacDonald, so school improvement ideas certainly run in that family.

Donald Slater, approved Tuesday as the new acting Bulkeley High School principal to succeed 37-year veteran educator Gayle Allen-Greene, had been a 10-year veteran principal (on top of another four years as assistant principal) at West Hartford’s Hall High School.  He began his career as a science teacher at Prince Tech.  He has served as the District’s chief operating officer and in other administrative posts, focusing on future facilities planning.  Past Principal Allen-Greene knew how to hire well and delegate responsibility – her staff is not merely her legacy but also a gift to Dr. Slater.

Carol Birks was approved as the District’s new Chief of Staff (the post last held by Dr. Gislaine Ngounou under past Superintendent Beth Schiavino-Narvaez).  Dr. Birks, like Superintendent Torres-Rodriguez, has served as a supervising assistant superintendent for instructional leadership, in connection with a subset of 14 Hartford schools [including Burr, Kinsella, High School, Inc., Journalism and Media Academy, Milner, and Pathways].  Coming from a background as a language arts teacher in Bridgeport, then to work as an administrator and leadership coach in Chicago, New Haven, and Norwalk, and as a developer of an academy for freshmen undergoing academic hardships, she certainly knows schools’ opportunities and challenges.

Catherine Carbone also has served as one of Hartford’s assistant principals for instructional leadership, assigned to 16 schools.  On Tuesday, Dr. Carbone was approved as the new Chief of Elementary and Middle Grades Education, a post that comports with her experiences with the McDonough Expeditionary Learning School (MELS), among many others.  As well, her transition has been from middle grades science teacher to key liaison with the State on laws and regulations – on to playing a role in refining the education specifications for the soon-to-be redesigned Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School.  As a principal in Bridgeport and East Hartford, Dr. Carbone has proven herself to be a “middle grades junkie,” Dr. Torres humorously remarked Tuesday night.  Maria Sanchez School Principal Azra Redzic, Board Member Richard Wareing recalled, has attributed her success to the support from Dr. Carbone.

The Bottom Line

It is unclear how the previous regime (assigning each of several assistant superintendents for instructional leadership to manage a caseload of schools), will be adapted for the future.  For example, if Dr. Carbone is now in charge of elementary and middle school education, will another designee take on the high school arena?  What about English learners and children with disabilities?

Dr. Torres gave a cogent report on her priorities, on this video, at the 1:22:16 mark.

Strong schools make a strong city.  Strong leaders are the fundamental ingredient to make it happen. Congratulations to the latest set of captains as they sail into uncertain seas.