by Dr. Sarah Lindstrom
SPAN 3178 and 3179
Bristol Central High School
UConn ECE 2023 Award Winner for Excellence in Course Instruction

 
 
Ways to Change Language Learning: Advocacy and Courses for Heritage Speakers

 

When I moved back to my hometown and began work¬ing at one of the high schools in 2020, I hoped to make a difference in a district that had done so much for me. After surviving the challenges and growth of that first year, the next year I felt energized to more closely examine the way things were in our language program in an effort to reach students who I felt were not engaged like I knew they could be even when back in the classroom.

 
As a teacher of Spanish, I quickly noticed there was not a great path for our heritage or native Spanish speakers to get to the ECE Spanish courses we offer. I had a good number of heritage speakers in Spanish 2, where they were being underserved by verb charts, vocabulary lists, and a level of input that was far below their proficiency level. At the same time, I had a relatively small ECE class with only one native speaker, who I happened to recruit from my study hall. There was so much Spanish being spoken in our school, I could not sit back while those students missed the chance to gain college credit for their home language.

 
When I set out to challenge what the current course offer¬ings were, I was careful to do my research and bring forth recommendations that could be implemented in ways that made sense for our district. The first thing I did was ask my Spanish-speaking students what they thought of the class they were taking. I listened to their concerns and asked them what they thought of having classes that could help them learn Spanish in a different way. Each student was not only interested but excited about the idea. With this information, and some research, I created a presentation to share with district administrators that highlighted some ways we could better serve our Spanish-speaking students and families. I shared a variety of possible solutions and offered ways I could help make these a reality. Fortunately, the administration spoke to the high school administrators and with the help of a supportive guidance department, they decided to run heritage Spanish courses in both of our high schools for the 2022-2023 school year.

 
After spending the spring of 2022 writing curriculum, the course was officially approved and this year we had four successful classes run between the two high schools. We are fortunate to have two highly qualified heritage speak¬er teachers who tell me that students and families have expressed gratitude for this opportunity to not only learn Spanish in a way that is more natural for them, but also to be seen as multilingual individuals who bring a great lan¬guage legacy with them into the classroom. I have an ECE class this year that is about half native speakers and next year I am going to have even more. The students, families, teachers, and administrators would all agree that in this case the change we made was for the better and I cannot wait to see how this program grows in the future.

Un camino hacia cambios en el aprendizaje de idiomas: Apoyo y clases para los hablantes de herencia

 

Cuando me mudé de nuevo a mi ciudad natal y empecé a trabajar en una de las escuelas secundarias aquí en 2020, quería tener un impacto positivo en un distrito que había hecho tanto para mi. Después de sobrevivir los desafíos y el crecimiento del primer año, el próximo año tuve la energía para examinar bien como eran las cosas en nuestro programa con el deseo de ayudar a los estudiantes quienes mostraban menos interés de lo que esperaba estando otra vez en las escuelas.
 

Como profesora de español, en poco tiempo me enteré de que no existía un camino fácil para que nuestros es­tudiantes hispanohablantes llegaran a la clase de ECE que ofrecemos. Tenía unos hablantes de herencia en mi clase de Español 2, donde les enseñaba con tablas de verbos, listas de vocabulario, y un nivel de lenguaje mucho menos de lo que tenían. Al mismo tiempo, tenía una clase pequeña de ECE con una sola hablante nativa, quien yo había reclutado de mi hora de estudio. Había tanto español en los pasillos de nuestra escuela que me parecía impensable no hacer nada para mejorar las opciones para nuestros estudiantes hispanohablantes.
 
Cuando empecé a cuestionar nuestro programa de estudios en español, tenía cuidado con investigar y recomendar ideas que serían posibles y beneficiosas para nuestro distri­to. La primera cosa que hice fue hablar con mis estudiantes quienes hablaban español y les pedí sus opiniones sobre
 
las clases que tomaban. Presté atención a sus dudas y les pregunté sobre la idea de aprender español en una manera diferente, una manera más natural. A todos los estudiantes les gustaba la idea y estaban emocionados. Con esta infor­mación y las investigaciones que leí, presenté a la admin­istración algunas recomendaciones para mejor apoyar a los estudiantes y a las familias hispanohablantes. También ofrecí mi ayuda. Afortunadamente, la administración tenía interés y hablaron con los directores de las escuelas secund­arias. Con el apoyo del departamento de consejeros, decid­ieron añadir clases de español para los hablantes nativos en el año escolar de 2022-2023.
 
Después de pasar la primavera de 2022 escribiendo el currículum, la clase nueva fue aprobada y este año tuvimos cuatro clases exitosas entre las dos escuelas secundarias. Tenemos la suerte de tener dos profesores muy cualifica­dos para enseñarlas y me dicen que tienen estudiantes y familias que les han comentado el agradecimiento que se sienten por tener la oportunidad de aprender su idioma en una manera más natural y además tener una clase donde se sienten como individuos bilingües quienes traen un rico legado lingüístico consigo. Mi clase de ECE este año tiene más hablantes nativos y el año que viene va a tener aún más. Los estudiantes, sus familias, los profesores, y la ad­ministración están de acuerdo que en este caso los cambios que hemos hecho han mejorado nuestro programa y tengo muchas ganas de ver cómo va a crecer en el futuro.

 
By Janet Belvel
CT State Director, CT Science Olympiad
UConn ECE Instructor at South Windsor High School
(UConn AH 1000, Intro to Allied Health Professions & AH 2001, Medical Terminology)

 
UConn ECE was happy to host the return of the in person 2023 CT State Science Olympiad Com­petition (ctscioly.org) on March 11th. This annual event brought together some of the brightest young minds from across the state to showcase their scientific skills, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork. The day was filled with excitement, collaboration, and intense competition as these bud­ding scientists left no stone unturned in their quest for victory.

 
Science Olympiad is a highly regarded competition that challenges students in various scientif­ic disciplines, including biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, and more. With an impressive lineup of over 23 events, the participants were required to exhibit their knowledge, innovation, and analytical thinking. Over 40 Science Olympiad teams from around the state showed remarkable dedication, preparing rigorously for months lead­ing up to the event.

 
This year South Windsor High School defended their title to emerge as the State Winners and will represent Connecticut at the National Tour­nament in Wichita, Kansas in May. Rounding out the top high school teams were Glastonbury, Hopkins, and Staples with outstanding perfor­mances. Wilton was awarded the Best New Team for this year by demonstrating their exceptional skills throughout the competition. The spirit of camaraderie was palpable as team members encouraged and supported each other, showcasing the true essence of the Science Olympiad. Their passion for science was reflected in every task. It was apparent that their hard work, combined with their commitment to excellence, propelled them towards success.

 

 

Participating in Science Olympiad is more than just a competition; it is an opportunity for young minds to explore their passion for science and ignite their curiosity. Teams are challenged in building and engineering events as well as written performance and experimental design. On campus, you could see everything from glider planes being flown in Hawley Armory to a Forensic Crime Lab run in the Chemistry Building. These are the experiences that create lasting memories for high school students and inspire them to join the next generation of scientists.
 

The success of the Connecticut Science Olympiad competition reflects the importance of cultivating scientific curiosity and encouraging students to pursue their passion for science. This would not be possible without the support of the coaches, parent and community volunteers, and the staff of the ECE program.
 

 
By Nella Quasnitschka

 
UConn Early College Experience is happy to announce the return of the Course Enhancement Awards for UConn courses taught in partner high schools. Eligible UConn ECE partners were invited to submit proposals for two types of projects: (1) Classroom Enhancement and (2) Community Development. Below is a list of proposals that have been funded for the 2023-24 academic year. We look forward to sharing results and outcomes with you next year.

Bullard Havens Technical High School

ECE Instructor: Bridget Wrabel

UConn Course: ENGL 1007: Seminar and Studio in Academic Writing and Multimodal Composition

Description: A class set of “Worn Stories” by Emily Spivack will be purchased to help build their classroom library.

Christian Heritage School

ECE Instructor: Jamie Cosgrove

UConn Course: BIOL 1107: Principles of Biology I

Description: Students will have hands on experience to new technology that they otherwise would not be exposed to be­cause of Professor Cosgrove’s effort to secure funding for a new CRISPR lab set.

East Hampton High School

ECE Instructor: Kasey Tortora

UConn Course: HDFS 1070: Individual & Family Development

Description: A Reality Works Pregnancy Profile Simulator will be purchased to help students understand pregnancy’s impact on the body. The goal of these simulation experiences is to give students real hands-on exposure to pregnancy and stages of life.

Glastonbury High School

ECE Instructor: Laura Haddad

UConn Course: ENGL 1007: Seminar and Studio in Academic Writing and Multimodal Composition

Description: Microphones will be purchased to script and record informational podcasts. This multi-modal project allows students to have a voice and to practice putting their writing into real-world applications.

Hall High School

ECE Instructor: Connie Xu

UConn Course: CHIN 1114: Intermediate Chinese II

Description: Lanterns, dragons, mahjong, tea set, and calligraphy are great authentic materials that will be acquired for the classroom over the years. What was missing was a karaoke machine – a very popular form of entertainment among Chinese culture across age groups.

Lewis S. Mills High School

ECE Instructor: Laura Faga

UConn Course: FREN 3250: Global Culture I

Description: This award will allow students to attend the French Quiz bowl in the Fall of 2023. Students will return to their school and share the knowledge they have gained with younger students.

Middletown High School

ECE Instructor: UConn ECE team

UConn Course: HIST1300: Western Traditions Before 1500, HIST1400: Modern Western Traditions, ENGL 1007: Seminar and Studio in Academic Writing and Multimodal Composition, ANSC 1676: Introduction to Companion Animals, ANSC1602: Behavior and Training of Domestic Animals, SPSS 1110: Fundamentals of Horticulture, and HRTS 1007: Introduc­tion to Human Rights

Description: This award will be used to support an all-day community event for Middletown High School students. Stu­dents will be able to network with community members and explore resources available to them. Middletown High School Pride Leaders, who are students that take UConn ECE courses, will lead events, direct students, and be positive role mod­els. This event will benefit all involved parties.

Newington High School

ECE Instructor: Carla Toney

UConn Course: ILCS 3239 & ILCS 3240: Composition & Conversation I & II Description: With the goal of increasing opportunities for students to access authentic materials, funds have been provided to create a readers’ library in the classroom.

Ridgefield High School

ECE Instructor: JR Condosta

UConn Course: ERTH 1051: Earth’s Dynamic Environment

Description: Funding for this award will support the development and implementation of a self-guided geoscience walk­ing trail on the Ridgefield High School campus. This educational walking trail will be a valuable resource for students in various high school courses and members of the community. It will provide an engaging way to learn about the geology and natural history of the area.

Trumbull High School

ECE Instructor: Gregg Basbagill

UConn Course: ECON 1201: Principles of Microeconomics

Description: One major deficiency in Mr. Basbagill’s course is the gap between the economic models being taught and the lived experience in the real world. To address this gap, microphones will be purchased so students can begin podcasting. This will allow students to develop a more empathic understanding of how inflation, unemployment, and output affect actual people.

University High School of Science and Engineering

ECE Instructor: Caryn Baseler UConn Course: MARN 1001E: The Sea Around Us

Description: Students in the UConn ECE Marine Sciences class will visit Meigs Point Nature Center and participate in their Three Shoreline Ecosystems program so students can visualize and apply what they have learned in class to the rocky shore, sandy beach and salt marsh ecosystems.

Waterbury Career Academy

ECE Instructor: Frank F. Marcucio, III

UConn Course: AH 4092: EMT Training

Description: Funds for this award will go towards the purchase of cardiopulmonary resuscitation mannequins that record their performance and interface with AEDs. This will provide immediate feedback to Mr. Marcucio’s students. The mannequins will allow students to develop and hone their skills and address inadequacies in a scientific method based on recorded performance.

The Woodstock Academy

ECE Instructor: Sharon Geyer

UConn Course: CHEM 1127Q & CHEM 1128Q: General Chemistry I & II

Description: This classroom enhancement award is for the acquisition of Go Direct sensors and probes that will allow the implementation of science experiments in UConn ECE courses. The sensors will be used throughout all UConn ECE Science courses, allowing approximately 160 students annually to benefit.

 
The Office of Early College Programs will award UConn ECE Course Enhancement Awards again next year.

 

 

 

By Stefanie Malinoski
 

Professional Development Workshops

UConn Early College Experience Faculty Coordinators offer annual professional devel­opment workshops for their Instructors. This spring, UConn ECE hosted twenty-nine different professional development workshops for certified Instructors. Many of these events occurred in person on the Storrs and Hartford campuses and others were held in a virtual capacity. Some highlights are below. Please be sure to check out the UConn ECE Professional Development Blog on the ECE website for details and pictures from our events.
 
Animal Science

Our certified Animal Science Instructors along with Faculty Coordinators Dr. Jenifer Nadeu and Dr. Amy Safran took a tour of UConn’s animal facilities including the voluntary milking system, and Molly Riser, UConn ANSC PhD student, provided an overview of the domestication and breeding of dogs.
 
Anthropology

Along with ECE Faculty Coordinator, Dr. Alexia Smith, certified UCo­nn ECE Anthropology Instructors met for a virtual workshop where they focused on practical strategies for teaching anthropology today and recent changes within the field. Hot topics such as participation agreements, accessibility issues, and engagement modalities were the main topics of discussion. UConn’s Dr. Noga Shemer served as a guest facilitator for the workshop. Dr. Shemer is an Assistant Professor-in-Res­idence of Anthropology at UConn, where she also serves as an Affiliate faculty member of El Instituto (Institute of Latina/o, Caribbean, and Latin American Studies) and as an Assistant Director of Faculty Development at the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. As a cultural anthropol­ogist with many years teaching experience, she provides workshops across the university focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the classroom and has pub­lished journal articles focusing on her use of person-centered ethnographies to build empathy.
 
Art

UConn ECE Faculty Coordinator for Art, Prof. Cora Lynn Deibler, met with UConn ECE Art Instructors for their virtual professional development session and invited Dr. James J. Hughes to speak with the group about artificial intelligence (AI) in the art world. Dr. Hughes is an American sociologist and bioethicist. He serves as the Executive Director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies and as Associate Provost at UMass Boston. He writes and speaks often on topics of bioethics, technology, and Buddhism. The group listened to Dr. Hughes’ presentation and engaged in a lively conversation discussing the rise of tech­nological art-generating tools that use artificial intelligence. While students are interested in new AI tools, established artists are skeptical – even fearful. The group discussed strategies for talking about, contextualizing, and using or discouraging use of AI artmaking in our classrooms.
 
Biology

Dr. Thomas Abbott, Associate Professor In-Resi­dence and ECE Faculty Coordinator for Biology, met with a group of fifty Instructors for an on-campus workshop. The Instructors engaged in hands on laboratory experience dealing with Maltose Transport Assays with Dr. Chris Malinoski, Assistant Professor in Resi­dence and Rebecca Newcomer, Laborato­ry Manager for UCo­nn’s undergraduate Biology 1000 courses.
 
Educational Psychology

Dr. Joe Madaus invited author of “The Lottery”, Patricia Wood, to speak with our group of certified Special Education Instructors. Patricia shared her personal experiences with the group in a lively virtual discussion all the way from Hawaii!
 
Spanish

Faculty Coordinators for Spanish Dr. Guillermo Nanclares and Dr. Eduardo Urios-Aparisi invited special guest Dr. Maria Lourdes Casas to speak to a group of 40 UConn ECE certified Spanish Instruc­tors. Dr. Casas is a professor in the World Languag­es, Literatures, and Cultures Department at Central Connecticut State University.
 

UConn Early College Experience New Instructor Orientation

New Instructor Orientation occurred in May on the Storrs campus for over 150 newly certified ECE Instructors. Returning to an in-person event for the first time since 2019 the morning was spent covering all things Early College Experi­ence. Topics includ­ed: student regis­tration, instructor responsibilities and resources, creating a UConn ECE com­munity, data highlights, enrichment programs, and Pre-College Summer. After some Q&A and lunch as a group, teachers met with their ECE Faculty Coordinators for discipline-specific orientation sessions.
 
Instructors shared their feedback after orientation and some mentioned that they were happy to hear that UConn ECE is aware of the struggles teachers may face convincing their school boards that run­ning multiple UConn course offerings is beneficial to their students and faculty. They are now aware that the ECE program staff is willing and able to help teachers work with their schools to promote and “package” their UConn courses (with meetings, pro­motional materials, etc.). Most Instructors reported they enjoyed learning about how to create a UConn ECE community in their classrooms and schools and were grateful to have the opportunity to participate in orientation in person to meet with their discipline specific UConn Faculty Coordinator.
 

 

 

 
Increased Scholarship amounts garner more competitive application pool.
 
By Jessica Dunn
 
UConn Early College Experience increased the student scholarship amount for each available award to $1,000 this year! For many years, the scholarship award was $500 each, and we are excited to be able to increase the value of these scholarships to $1,000 each. Partly due to the increase in value for these scholarships, we received a record number of incredibly competitive applications, making the selection process difficult.
 
Through a rigorous review process, the UConn Early College Experience Office selected six outstanding 2022-2023 UConn ECE Students as Scholarship winners, awarding each a $1,000 scholarship to be used at any institution. All winners are high school seniors, who have taken or are currently taking at least one UConn Early College Experience course and have excelled in the area in which they submitted their project. Additionally, applications are scored on a holistic rubric which aims to capture a variety of factors including academic success, future academic aspirations, and demonstrated financial need.
 
Winners talk about their projects in this video. Additional information about UConn ECE Scholarships can be found on our Student Scholarships page.

Winners demonstrate academic achievement and a potential for future academic and professional accomplishments in a field focusing on the Arts, Humanities, and/or Social Sciences.

ZULEYDY TORRES CREC Academy of Computer Science and Engineering Original Project, “The Real Talk on: Anxiety and Depression”	LUCY HOMER Hall High School Personal Essay, “Children of Sunshine and Rain”

Winners demonstrate academic achievement and a potential for future academic and professional accomplishments in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Mathematics.

KATERINA NGUYEN Trumbull High School Original Coding of a Murder Mystery Game	NATALIA MOCARSKI New Britain High School Research Paper on Serotonin Receptors

Winners are academically successful, are already making a positive difference in their town or neighborhood, and are inspiring others to do the same. The students chosen for this award are UConn ECE Students who demonstrate ambition and self-drive evidenced by outstanding achievement in both school and their community.

ELSA HOLAHAN James Hillhouse High School Youth Director at Dixwell Community Q House	OLIVER TUFF (center) New Canaan High School Founder of Feeding 500

 
By Jessica Dunn

Discount Tickets

As part of the UConn ECE Community, Students, Instructors, Site Represen­tatives, Library Media Specialists, and Faculty Coordinators have access toattend select UConn athletic events and performances at the JorgensenCenter for the Performing Arts at discounted rates! UConn Early CollegeExperience has partnered with UConn Athletics to offer YOU the opportuni­ty to be in the stands and show your Husky pride with your friends andfamily. We have also partnered with Jorgensen who offers UConn EarlyCollege Experience Students and high school partners, with a valid UConn NetID, FREE tickets to a selection of their annual performances.
 
Available athletic event tickets and Jorgensen performance offers are an­nounced throughout the academic year to the UConn ECE Community. Take advantage of these great offers and opportunities to immerse yourself in the UConn culture. Hundreds of UConn ECE partners did this year! You may not be in Storrs, Avery Point, Hartford, Stamford, or Waterbury, but you are a part of UConn wherever you are. Bring your class, your friends, or your family to a game or a show! This is just one of the many benefits of being part of the UConn ECE family, and we hope to see you on campus.
 
Find your tickets here: s.uconn.edu/ece-discount-tix
 
Don’t forget, show your Husky Pride and tag us in your photos from the games and shows you attend!
 
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UConn Recreation Center Access – just for our partners

UConn ECE Instructors, Site Representatives, and Library Media Specialists are eligible foraffiliate membership to the UConn Recreation Center. UConn ECE administrative partners must provide a UConn One Card for purchase of membership.