Carver’s Annual Meeting Highlights Community Strength and a Clear Path Forward

Novelette Peterkin, CEO, and Phil Butterfield, President

Carver’s Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors, held Wednesday evening at the Carver Community Center, brought together board and staff members, volunteers, community partners, families, and supporters for a night of transparency, celebration, and shared commitment to Carver’s future. This annual public board meeting fulfills essential governance responsibilities and honors the students and families who inspire Carver’s work every day.

Board President Phil Butterfield opened the meeting, welcoming the community as the agenda was officially adopted. The entire 28-page Annual Meeting booklet is linked here.

The meeting began with an Alumni Spotlight from Isiah Gaddy, who reflected on his journey from student to Carver Future Readiness Coordinator and offered a powerful reminder of Carver's long arc of support.

Nathan Hale Middle School Principal, James Crouch (watch a video about him here), spoke of Carver’s long and successful partnership with his school, students, and families

Approval of the prior year’s minutes followed, along with the Treasurer’s Report, which highlighted both Carver’s “clean” financial audit and the real fiscal challenges of the past year, including increased demand, rising operational costs, and temporary revenue shortfalls.

Facing Challenges, Strengthening Carver

The past year brought meaningful challenges—growing student needs and the complexity of managing programs across four districts. We sharpened the organization’s focus, encouraged more strategic planning, and accelerated improvements in governance, staffing, data systems, and financial structure.

Throughout the evening, committee reports reinforced Carver’s commitment to fulfilling its mission:

The Fundraising & Marketing Committee, led by board members Brooke Sorensen and Drew Seath

• The Fundraising & Marketing Committee, led by board members Brooke Sorensen and Drew Seath, detailed new donor engagement efforts, expanded events, and the hiring of a Chief Advancement Officer to strengthen Carver’s long-term revenue pipeline.

• The Governance & HR Committee report delivered by board member Deborah Brennan outlined improved board onboarding, expanded leadership staffing, and stronger HR practices—part of the ongoing effort to ensure long-term sustainability.

• The Program Committee showcased strong student outcomes, expanded summer programming, and the nineteenth consecutive year of 100% on-time high school graduation for Carver seniors.

Together, these committee updates painted a picture of an organization that not only learned from last year’s pressures but used them to become stronger, more resilient, and more aligned with best practices.

Diaghilev Lubin-Farnell, Connecticut Assistant Attorney General, Carver alumna, and board member

Looking Forward With Confidence

CEO Novelette Peterkin shared heartfelt remarks reflecting on the year’s enhancements, including improved academic outcomes, stronger school-based partnerships, and significant capital investments such as the transformative $3.5 million Community Investment Fund award. She expressed deep gratitude for Carver’s staff—more than 500 strong—whose commitment ensured continuity and quality across all programs.

President Phil followed with remarks that blended candor with optimism. He reminded the community that:

• students who achieved at exceptional levels,

• families who trusted Carver day after day,

• staff who gave their all, and

• partners and donors who stood with Carver during a challenging period.

Longtime Carver Social Worker, Jackie Roberson, and Novelette Peterkin, Carver CEO

Phil emphasized that Carver has never been an organization that chooses the easy road—it chooses the right one, always staying focused on the children and youth in our care. And this coming year, Carver is taking targeted steps to strengthen its financial position, expand partnerships, complete major facility upgrades, and build the Advancement and Marketing capacity needed for long-term stability.

A United Board and a Shared Mission

Before adjournment, Deborah Brennan presented the proposed slate of officers and directors for 2025–2026, which the Board approved unanimously. This new slate reflects a strong, experienced, and engaged leadership team ready to guide Carver into its next era.

Phil closed the meeting with gratitude—for the board, for the staff, for the families, for the programming, many partners and donors, and especially for the students who remain the reason Carver exists.

As Carver steps confidently into the new fiscal year, one truth is evident from the Annual Meeting: Carver is stronger with the community behind it.

Explorer Badges Earned! Carver Students Dive into Jane Goodall’s World with Volunteer Erika Smith

Carver’s After the Bell students at Naramake Elementary School set off on another adventure of scientific discovery this week, guided once again by the endlessly creative and dedicated volunteer Erika Smith. Fresh off her recent lesson on the art of beekeeping—where she introduced students to the vital world of pollinators—Erika returned to Naramake to lead students into the life and legacy of one of the most influential scientists of our time: Dame Jane Goodall.

Naramake, a school deeply committed to providing students with a 21st-century learning experience and proud to be an IB Primary Years Program candidate school, offered the perfect environment for this rich STEAM exploration. Erika’s lesson wove together science, history, and hands-on nature study to show students that discovery can begin with simple curiosity—just as it did for Goodall.

Students learned about Goodall’s remarkable journey from a young girl fascinated by animals to a world-renowned primatologist whose 60 years of research in Tanzania transformed our understanding of chimpanzees. Erika highlighted Goodall’s groundbreaking findings—such as chimpanzees using tools and exhibiting complex social behaviors—and how these discoveries reshaped what the world thought it knew about animal intelligence.

To honor Goodall’s lifelong habit of close observation, Erika brought students outside and into nature for a series of “mini expeditions” inspired by the ways Goodall herself learned to see the world:

• Bird watching, where students used keen observation to identify movement, color, and sound

• Leaf study, examining textures and patterns to understand how scientists classify plant life

• Seashell exploration, uncovering natural stories hidden in shapes, ridges, and worn edges

These simple but powerful activities helped students practice the same skills that fueled Goodall’s decades of discovery: patience, curiosity, and the willingness to look deeper.

The lesson concluded with a proud moment—each student received an Explorer Badge, symbolizing their achievement and their place in a long line of scientists, naturalists, and protectors of the environment.

Carver is grateful for volunteers like Erika Smith, whose passion for the natural world inspires students to imagine themselves as future scientists, caretakers of the planet, and lifelong learners. From bees to birds to seashells, Erika continues to show Carver students that wonder is everywhere—and every question is the beginning of an adventure.

Get Involved!

Carver’s programs thrive because of volunteers like Erica, who bring knowledge, passion, and creativity to our students. If you’d like to make a difference by sharing your skills, time, or enthusiasm, we’d love to hear from you.

👉 For more information and to apply, please visit this Carver website VOLUNTEER page.

Learning to Open the Future: How One 5th Grader Found Her Confidence Before Middle School

When 10-year-old María Santiago started the 5th Grade Scholars program in elementary school, she described herself in one word: quiet.

She loved reading, sketching in the margins of her notebook, and sitting in the back row where she felt safe. But the thought of entering middle school—new teachers, new hallways, new expectations—made her stomach feel like it was full of jumping beans.

“I’m not ready for all that,” she would say to her mother. “Middle school kids know what they’re doing. I won’t.”

The truth is, María is like many 5th graders: bright, thoughtful, determined—and unsure of what comes next.

A Year of Small, Steady Steps

Throughout the school year after school, María began building relationships with her Carver 5th-grade scholars' teachers (daytime certified teachers in Maria’s school). They nudged her gently into new challenges: reading aloud in small groups, working with classmates in her Carver after-school program she didn’t know well, and trying assignments that required planning and independence.

Nothing dramatic. Just small steps that slowly grew her confidence.

“She didn’t need to become louder,” her teacher said. “She just needed to believe she could figure things out.”

The Locker That Wouldn’t Budge

That belief was tested the first week of Carver’s Summer Transition Program for rising 6th graders. The program, located in each of Norwalk’s public middle schools, gives students a chance to explore their future school before the first day of sixth grade.

One Tuesday morning, María and the other students gathered in the school hallway, staring at a long row of lockers. Bright blue. Shiny. Slightly intimidating.

The principal who proudly shows up for this program periodically as a volunteer handed each student a combination.
“Try it,” she said with a smile. “You’re going to do this every day in September. Let’s learn it now.”

María stepped up to her locker, placed her hand on the cold metal, and felt her heart speed up.
Left… right… left, she whispered, turning the dial.
Click.
Nothing happened.

She tried again.
Nothing.

She looked around. Other students were laughing, opening their lockers, slamming them shut again just to prove they could. María felt a familiar wave of doubt rising in her throat.

That’s when the school principal walked over.
“Locks are tricky the first time,” she said. “Let’s do it together.”

They tried the combination again. And again. And then—

Click.
The locker swung open.

María froze, then looked up slowly—eyes wide in disbelief.
“I did it,” she said softly.
“You did,” the principal said. “And you’ll do it again tomorrow.”

More Than a Locker

To an adult, opening a locker might feel like a small, trivial task. But for a child on the edge of a big transition, it can represent something much bigger:
I can do this.
I belong here.
I’m ready.

Over the next few summer weeks, something changed in María. She volunteered to lead her group during a middle school tour. She asked the science teacher on staff an extra question. She tried her locker without help—and opened it on the first try.

When her mother asked how program was going, María surprised her.

“It’s not scary anymore,” she said. “Middle school is starting to feel like mine.”

A Story of Courage, Not Programs

María’s journey is not a story about a curriculum or a schedule. It’s a story about what happens when a child feels supported, seen, and gently stretched toward her own potential.

It’s a story about courage—the quiet kind that grows slowly over time.

And it’s a reminder that every student deserves the chance to walk into middle school not with fear, but with confidence in who they are and who they can become.

Carver Students Take the Stage at The Norwalk Art Space: A Celebration of Young Creativity and Community

Just steps from the Carver Community Center, something special is happening. On Thursday, November 20th, from 5:00–7:00 pm, Carver students will join young artists and musicians from across Norwalk to showcase their talents at The Norwalk Art Space’s Fall Semester Student Art Show & Recital—a joyful, community-wide celebration of creative expression.

This free, family-friendly evening invites everyone to experience the power of Arts For All in action. Guests will wander through gallery spaces filled with student artwork—bright canvases, bold sketches, mixed-media pieces, and imaginative creations shaped during months of after-school exploration. Alongside the visual art, live performances will fill the space with music as students share what they’ve been practicing all semester.

Carver students have poured heart and effort into their art, supported by teaching artists, mentors, and families who show up for them every day. For many, this will be the first time their work is displayed publicly—or their first time performing for an audience beyond the walls of their after-school program. It’s a moment of courage, pride, and belonging.

Events like this reflect what makes Norwalk extraordinary: neighbors coming together to cheer one another on, creative opportunities open to every child, and partnerships—like the one between Carver and The Norwalk Art Space—that lift students’ confidence and spark new possibilities.

Free and open to the public. All ages welcome.
Come be part of the applause. Come celebrate the imagination, growth, and brilliance of our young people.

Good News: All Connecticut SNAP Recipients Now Have Full November Benefits Available

There is welcome news for Connecticut families who rely on SNAP. The State of Connecticut has confirmed that all SNAP recipients now have access to their full November benefits on their EBT cards. Despite recent concerns tied to the federal government shutdown, Connecticut has stepped in to backfill SNAP funding to ensure that no household experiences a disruption in benefits.

This means that your full monthly benefit amount is already available and ready for use.

If you want to verify your balance, you can do so anytime by visiting MyDSS.ct.gov or calling the EBT Customer Service line at 1-888-328-2666.

We know that these moments of uncertainty create real stress for families already working hard to make ends meet. This announcement ensures that Connecticut residents can continue to access food and essential items without delay.

If you or someone you know receives SNAP, please help spread the word—benefits are available now.

🎃 Carver’s Roton Middle School Artists Shine in the Pumpkin Painting Contest! 🎨

Carver’s R.A.M.S. Afterschool Program at Roton Middle School celebrated fall in full color this year with a joyful and wildly creative Pumpkin Painting Contest, led by Dean Vaccaro, National Board Certified Teacher of U.S. History (Grade 8) and Carver’s R.A.M.S. Program Director. What began as an Arts & Crafts lesson in design techniques blossomed into a dazzling display of imagination, humor, and artistic flair across all three grades.

Thanks to Springdale Florist in Darien, which once again provided high-quality pumpkins, every student had the chance to create something unique. Using everything from paint and fabric to mixed media and embellishments, students crafted pumpkins that were spooky, funny, elegant—and occasionally laugh-out-loud surprising.

After the artwork was completed, students cast votes for their favorites in each category. Winners were announced during our festive Fall Harvest Bingo & Celebration, where certificates were awarded and applause filled the room.

🏆 2025 Pumpkin Painting Contest Winners

• Spookiest Pumpkin: Isabella Otero, Grade 8

• Funniest Pumpkin: Jacob Morales Martinez, Grade 7

• Most Creative Pumpkin: Bruno Huacca, Grade 6

• Prettiest Pumpkin: Logan Wojcik, Grade 6

• Best Pumpkin Overall: Dylan Mercado Gallardo, Grade 8

Each student proudly brought their pumpkin home as a holiday decoration—a gift for their families and a reminder of their creativity and hard work.

Congratulations to all our talented artists, and special thanks to Dean Vaccaro for inspiring another round of seasonal fun and to Springdale Florist for supporting our students year after year.

Carver kids continue to show that when creativity meets opportunity, they can make magic! 🎃✨

Government Shutdown Freezes Federal Food Assistance: Nearly 10,000 Norwalk Residents Without SNAP Support

With the federal government shutdown halting the release of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds, nearly 10,000 Norwalk residents are suddenly without the food assistance they rely on each month.

Carver’s role in food support is limited to our annual Thanksgiving Basket Drive, which provides full holiday meals for Norwalk families. In this moment of widespread hardship, we join our city partners in urging community members to support the local food charities and organizations listed here and in the graphic below. These programs on the front lines are there to ensure Norwalk households can access food during this temporary—but deeply disruptive—pause in federal assistance.

The Norwalk Food Alliance’s comprehensive Food Guide lists dozens of pantries, mobile distributions, and meal programs available to residents, along with SNAP enrollment support for those seeking help once benefits are restored. Services include:

You can explore the complete list, in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, at www.norwalkct.gov/meals — or contact any of the agencies shown below to volunteer, donate, or share the guide with neighbors who may need help.

Carver stands with our community partners, our city, and every family facing this crisis. Together, we can ensure that Norwalk’s long tradition of caring for one another endures—even when national systems falter.

Sign Up for Thanksgiving Food Baskets!

Carver Kids Harvest Fun at Silverman’s Farm: A Day of Animals, Apples, and Autumn Adventure

Carver’s youngest students from the Community Center’s CASPER program kicked off the fall season with a joyful field trip to Silverman’s Farm in Easton, Connecticut—a local favorite known for its hands-on, family-friendly farm experiences. The K–5 students were treated to an unforgettable day surrounded by nature, animals, and classic New England charm.

From the moment they arrived, the Carver kids were immersed in the sights and sounds of the farm. Each child received a colorful gourd to take home—a bright reminder of their autumn adventure. They spent time exploring the petting zoo, where over 100 animals roam the scenic hillsides. With feeding bags in hand, students delighted in meeting buffalo, llamas, goats, sheep, alpacas, fallow deer, and even the famously friendly bunnies in Silverman’s large free-range rabbit enclosure.

After their animal encounters, the group enjoyed Silverman’s famous homemade donuts—a sweet reward after a morning of exploring—and gathered for snacks at the picnic tables overlooking the orchards. The farm’s welcoming staff shared insights into the animals and life on a working farm, making the day both educational and fun.

While fall is peak season at Silverman’s, the farm offers year-round activities that keep families coming back: scenic hayrides through the orchard, a wooden tractor and train playground, fruit picking from June through October, and special seasonal events like pumpkin challenges and holiday festivals. The Carver students especially loved seeing the rows of apple trees, home to 25 varieties, and learning how fruit grows and is harvested.

By the end of the visit, students were brimming with excitement, laughter, and sticky fingers from donuts—an autumn day well spent. Trips like this give Carver’s CASPER students a chance to connect classroom learning with the natural world, building lasting memories and an appreciation for the region’s agricultural traditions.

Carver Awarded Two State Grants in Governor Lamont’s $5.3 Million Investment to Expand After-School Programs Across Connecticut

Governor Ned Lamont and Education Commissioner Charlene M. Russell-Tucker announced this week that the State of Connecticut has awarded $5.3 million in new funding to expand high-quality after-school programs serving students across 30 municipalities. Among the 41 grants awarded statewide, Carver stands out as one of only a handful of organizations—and the only Norwalk-based nonprofit—to receive two separate grants through the Connecticut State Department of Education’s competitive After-School Grant Program.

Carver’s two new grants will support after-school programming at Nathan Hale and West Rocks Middle Schools as well as Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy and Roton Middle School, strengthening Carver’s long-standing partnership with Norwalk Public Schools. Each grant totals $153,880, representing a combined state investment of more than $300,000 in Carver’s middle school after-school programs.

These grants were awarded through a highly competitive process evaluating local need, program design, academic enrichment, student wellness, and family engagement. The recognition reflects the state’s confidence in Carver’s evidence-based approach to youth development and its record of producing measurable academic gains and social-emotional growth for Norwalk students.

“High-quality after-school programs create opportunities for students to receive the additional academic and social supports they need to thrive,” Governor Lamont said in announcing the awards.

Carver’s programs provide daily academic support, literacy and STEAM enrichment, mentoring, wellness activities, and family engagement opportunities. Each site operates four days per week throughout the school year, offering safe, structured environments that extend learning beyond the classroom while supporting working families.

Carver is proud to represent Norwalk in this new round of state investment—and to be recognized twice among only 41 funded proposals statewide. The dual awards underscore Carver’s position as a statewide leader in out-of-school time programming and its ongoing commitment to ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed in school, career, and life.