Carver Campers on Schooner SoundWaters!

Several weeks ago, Carver placed the call-to-action on The Impact Vine crowdfunding platform and our wonderful donors made this journey on the Schooner Soundwaters today possible. THANK YOU!

See all the photos here. See the video below!

The Schooner SoundWaters is The Teaching Vessel of Long Island Sound. A representation of a 19th century sharpie schooner, the SoundWaters is an ideal platform for learning and experience for both students and adults.

For Carver students, this three-masted, 80’ ship served today as a teaching platform for the Science of the Sound, a hands-on, science-infused learning experience aboard the Schooner SoundWaters. During this three-hour science enrichment program our students helped to raise the sails, haul in a trawl net and examine the ecology of Long Island Sound.  Students tested the Sound’s water quality along the coastline, demonstrated mechanical advantage, touched and investigated the structures of live animals, and more.  The program provided an interactive learning experience that cannot be simulated in a classroom and served to reinforce many of the ecological concepts and theories introduced in other Carver after school and summer programs.  This adventure today embodied the standards for Connecticut and New York Core Science Curriculum Frameworks and helped to prepare our students for the States Mastery Tests.

Most of all, this adventure today was a journey into nature that our students will never forget.

THANK YOU, OUR IMPACT VINE DONORS!

Summer Enrichment at Columbus Magnet School 2017

See all the photos in our Facebook album here.

Summer programming at the Carver Community Center and at Columbus Magnet School is among the most affordable and high-quality programs available to Norwalk students ages 5 through 13 years old. The summer literacy program, facilitated by certified teachers, uses the Lexia Reading Core 5 software to provide personalized learning. Certified teachers also teach math sessions.  Summer camp program partners include Girl Scouts, The Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk Grassroots Tennis and The Norwalk Seaport Association. Field trips reinforce learning, e.g., Peabody Museum, CT Science Center, Discovery Museum, NBC Studio Tour, Stamford Nature Center, Beardsley Zoo, Bishop Orchards, New York Botanical Gardens and Maritime Aquarium.

Summer 2017 Begins at the Carver Community Center!

Summer programming at the Carver Community Center and at Columbus Magnet School is among the most affordable and high-quality programs available to Norwalk students ages 5 through 13 years old. The summer literacy program, facilitated by certified teachers, uses the Lexia Reading Core 5 software to provide personalized learning. Certified teachers also teach math sessions.  Summer camp program partners include Girl Scouts, The Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk Grassroots Tennis and The Norwalk Seaport Association. Field trips reinforce learning, e.g., Peabody Museum, CT Science Center, Discovery Museum, NBC Studio Tour, Stamford Nature Center, Beardsley Zoo, Bishop Orchards, New York Botanical Gardens and Maritime Aquarium.

Thank You, BANK OF AMERICA!

Carver volunteer leader, Jacqueline Novotny, named among the "40 under 40" honorees by the Fairfield County Business Journal

The Fairfield County Business Journal named Carver volunteer and leader Jacqueline Novotny among its 2017 "40 Under 40 Awards" recipients yesterday evening. Jacqueline is a Vice President at CBRE, Inc., the world’s largest real estate services company. The Business Journal honored 40 professionals at its 13th annual event held at the Silicon Harbor in Stamford. More than 300 guests attended the event, which included a cocktail reception and the formal award ceremony.

Representatives from the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, Business Council of Fairfield County, Darien Chamber of Commerce, Fairfield Chamber of Commerce, Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce, Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce, Greenwich Chamber of Commerce and Wilton Chamber of Commerce presented the awards to their respective honorees.

The 40 awardees thanked their colleagues, mentors and loved ones. The Carver community likewise congratulates Jacqueline on receiving this exceptional award and thanks her for her exemplary service to Carver kids throughout the years. 

Evolution of Technology in Schools

The Hour: Student Art Show Highlights Work with Several Media

See the article at The Hour here.

By Simone Jasper sjasper@mrt.com  June 11, 2017

The inaugural art show at Carver Center was more than an opportunity to display student work. The show was a culmination of a school year that introduced many students to new materials to use in their art. That show was spearheaded by fine arts teacher Kylie Carrell.

“Art is important to me, and I wanted kids to feel ownership and pride of what they’re working on,” she said. “I think everybody can be an artist. They don’t have to study it like I did.”

She said the show that premiered in May allowed students to share their artistic creations with their parents.

The show was held after school in the Carver Center gyms. In her first year teaching on the campus, Carrell was grateful to lead the effort.

The teacher’s instruction made an impact on students in the 2016-2017 school year, according to Principal Jan Rhodes.

“Because they were able to use different [media], I think they gained a confidence they didn’t have about their artistic abilities and exposure to different forms of art out there,” Rhodes said.

Students used a variety of materials including watercolors and ink, but they were also introduced to materials such as clay and pastels by Carrell that they had never used before.

“I try to give them a taste — a little bit of everything,” Carrell said. “I have different [media] based on the grades and what they would enjoy.”

For soon-to-be-fifth-grader Albany Solis, the introduction to pastels in Carrell’s class was a moment to remember.

“Since I was a little girl, I always liked art,” she said. “When I touched the pastel for the first time, I put my finger on it and put it on the paper. It blended all the colors together.”

Carrell tried a different approach to getting new materials for her students. She  turned to donorschoose.org, a website that allows people to support classroom projects at public schools. Through generous donations from the community, she received different types of media she and her students wouldn’t have used otherwise.

As students were learning to use a whole new palette of art materials, the teacher also  introduced students to famous artists and the history behind their work.

That information inspired Albany.

“I thought I could be like them one day when I heard about that,” she said. “Maybe I could do this, or maybe I could do that.”

Carrell also used well-known works to explain artistic movements  such as impressionism, surrealism and cubism as well as teach about portraying three-dimensional objects.

Brock Jones, who will be in sixth grade, learned about highlights and shadows while creating a planet in the solar system. He looked forward to sharing his work with others., but he also seemed to take something deeper from it all.

“When I finished, it was amazing,” Brock said. “You can express emotion through a piece and get to share.”

Walk for Elijah!

Juneteenth celebration at Carver!

On Saturday, June 10, 2017, WNLK 1350 AM and JEH-Productions invited everyone near and far to join together at the Carver Community Center to celebrate Juneteenth!

See more photos of our Juneteenth celebration here at our Facebook album!

Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is a holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865 announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas, and more generally the emancipation of  slaves throughout the Confederate South. Celebrated on June 19, the word is a combination of "June" and "nineteenth". Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in most states.

The holiday is observed primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and readings by noted African-American writers such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou. Celebrations may include parades, rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, or Miss Juneteenth contests.

2017 Carver Testimonial Dinner Photos!

Each year, the Carver Foundation of Norwalk awards Carver students, including current college students, with scholarships and recognition. We also recognized our Volunteer of the Year, High School Volunteer of the Year, and our College Graduate of the Year. We honor all our college graduates, high school graduates, most improved students of the year, and many other levels of graduation and achievement. Dozens of young people and their proud parents came together at the Carver Community Center for our Annual Testimonial Dinner on Friday, June 9, 2017.

HERE ARE THE NEARLY 150 PHOTOS OF THAT EVENING AWARD CEREMONY!