Carver alumna Jasmine Brown avidly pursues her career in the helping professions

Carver helps young people build networks of support, develop important skills, and expand their horizons. Carver surrounds students with interconnecting rings of learning and assistance. Jasmine Brown exemplifies Carver’s purpose and the accomplishments of educational equity. But only Jasmine gets credit for her courage and prudent strength, and for devoting herself to a career of caring for others.

Jasmine belongs to that rare and interesting group of young people who contrive, without ever intending to do so, to make an art of their careers. Jasmine’s story is like nothing that has been written before in this series of alumni profiles and will likely never be repeated.

Jasmine was a supervisor at a provider of residential and mental health skill-building services to people with intellectual disabilities and mental health challenges until she recently left to pursue a second graduate degree, this time at Virginia Commonwealth University. Jasmine still works in the mental health field as a counselor while she pursues a Master of Social Work degree (MSW). This degree offers more professional opportunities in direct service in the medical, mental health, and education fields, providing support as therapists, healthcare social workers, school social workers, and clinical social workers. The MSW typically takes one to two years to complete.

Jasmine previously graduated with honors from Virginia State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. VSU is a historically black college (HBCU), America's first fully state-assisted, four-year institution of higher learning for Blacks. She then attended Sacred Heart University in Connecticut where she also graduated with honors with a Master of Arts in teaching.

Jasmine always works to pay for her academic journeys and accomplishments. In addition to working as a mental health counselor today, Jasmine owns a small cleaning service and she is a licensed real estate agent in Virginia. 

Jasmine found Carver many years ago through a Stamford community-based organization that recommended her to us. Our annual spring College Tour caught her interest at first, but that was merely the beginning of Jasmine’s years-long relationship with the Carver community. She commuted via public transportation from Stamford each day to fully embrace all the after-school opportunities she found at the Carver Community Center in Norwalk. On that spring College Tour, Jasmine and Virginia State University (VSU) found each other.

One of the points of these annual far-flung trips to colleges and universities across the country is to awaken the hopes of youth whose circumstances would otherwise deflate aspirations for higher education. Jasmine had her own life challenges to overcome, and she did.

VSU accepted her. They gave her scholarships and other grant support, but she still remained significantly short financially. At the time, Carver did not have the funds to help, so we encouraged her to begin her college career at Norwalk Community College where she earned her spot on the Dean’s List and into the hearts of her professors and peers there. With a scholarship from Carver, Jasmine then attended VSU.

When Carver’s next annual spring College Tour bus full of aspiring Carver students arrived at VSU, Jasmine Brown was there to greet them and introduce them to the campus. Jasmine became and remains a stunning role model for Carver youth and staff alike.

Jasmine’s career is always advancing. The exploration of the full range of Jasmine’s potentialities is not something she apparently leaves to the chances of life. It is something she pursues avidly. Following Jasmine through the years, it seems as though she looks forward to an endless and unpredictable dialogue between her potentialities and the claims of life — not only the claims she encounters but the claims she invents. And by potentialities, we mean not just her powerful intellect and booming skills, but the full range of her capacities for sensing, wondering, learning, understanding, aspiring, and valuing and tending to the needs of others.

Given all the upheavals and challenges we face as a country, the renewal of society can go forward only if there are people like Jasmine, people with boundless compassion, splendid skills — and untold potentialities.

A message from Phil Butterfield, Carver's Board President

Philip Butterfield, President, Social Venture Partners Connecticut; HSBC Bank Of Bermuda, Chairman, Retired

As Carver’s Board President, I write to you, our readers, to thank you for your interest in our newsletter and for your support of the young people whom we serve.

Under Novelette’s leadership, Carver has continued to meet the needs of these young people despite the very challenging environment brought on by the coronavirus. Each of our Board members is deeply committed to Carver’s mission and to helping our students navigate through these unprecedented times.

We are also celebrating Black History Month, an opportunity to acknowledge an extraordinary African American and our namesake, George Washington Carver. His legacy and contributions to the world at large are indeed worthy of reflection, admiration, and celebration.

The schools we partner with, along with all other institutions of learning, are in the national spotlight as the U.S. Senate considers the confirmation of Connecticut’s own Miguel Cardona for the post of Education Secretary. Mr. Cardona was a teacher and principal before becoming our state’s Education Commissioner. All of us will have important roles to play in the coming months as we determine the appropriate strategies for education in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.      

As a result, our Board is re-examining our 2020-2025 Strategic Plan. We expect to strengthen both our vision and mission to enable Carver to become an even stronger influence in our community. Innovation will bring significant changes to how our young people learn and Carver is committed to being at the forefront of this new normal through the delivery of enhanced programs within our partnership with the Norwalk Public Schools District.

March 2020 will forever be known as the time all the world's schools closed their doors. As we pivoted to remote learning, parents who had relied on schools as an anchor around which they organized their daily schedule faced the shock of life without in-person school. Carver has always known what powerful allies parents are in their children's learning. With the pandemic's dire consequences hitting the most vulnerable families the hardest, parent engagement and social and emotional learning will remain among Carver’s priorities in the months and years ahead.

The remarkable words of our newest hero, Amanda Gorman, are an inspiration for all of us. "Where can we find light in this never-ending shade?" America's 22-year-old youth poet laureate asked as she spoke at the inauguration of the 46th president of the United States. "And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it," Gorman reminded us. That light is us. "Somehow, we've weathered and witnessed a nation that isn't broken, but simply unfinished," she said. "There is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it." Carver youth are as optimistic and brave as Amanda Gorman.

Thank you for your attention, caring, and support.

Philip Butterfield, President, Carver Board of Directors

Marcos Garcia exemplifies everything we strive to accomplish

Joseph Giandurco is a Social Studies & Science teacher at Ponus Ridge Middle School and Carver’s longtime Program Coordinator of our after school and summers programs there.

Mr. Giandurco wanted you to know about one of his outstanding students, Marcos Garcia.

Marcos is in the 8th grade and this is what Marcos has to say about his experience with Carver: "I love the Carver and the help they give me. I am proud to be a Carver Kid."

Mr. Giandurco reports, “Marcos has been in the Carver after school program for three years, and he is truly a great kid. He has strong attendance and uses the program and its enrichments to the fullest. He has been a member of the robotics team for two years. He is fascinated with photography and enjoys working on the school yearbook. Marcos is a polite young man who truly cares for others in the community. He often lends a hand to his fellow classmates. He is a diligent worker and overall a great Carver kid.”

Marcos shows us all that as much as we strive at Carver to offer our students every opportunity to grow and achieve, it is not always what they make of it for themselves. It is also what Marcos’ peers make of it, and how friendship and support from wonderful kids like Marcos impinge on their experience of it.

Carver is proud of Marcos and the help he gives his peers. We are grateful that we can be there for Marcos and that he considers himself to be a successful Carver kid. For us there is no greater honor.

5th Grade Scholars at Kendall Elementary School are bursting with creativity and knowledge

Miss Dilette Julian, teacher at Kendall Elementary School

This year, the Carver 5th Grade Scholar’s at Kendall Elementary School are participating in multiple hands-on projects throughout the week. 

Students develop team building skills. The young scholars practice their math and reading prowess by utilizing MyOn and Symphony math personalized learning tools. 

Students created comic books with their own personal narratives and fictional stories. Common Core State Standards are used to guide the students in organizing their stories.

They engage in enrichment STEAM activities, such as creating floating boats, erupting volcanos, air balloon cars, airplanes, Marshmallow towers/structures, and delving into robotics.

Our Scholars learn and teach each other languages such as French and Spanish. They have fun sharing basic greetings and conversational phrases.

They enter in math challenges and competitions, and they learn how to play Chess. 

Our 5th grade Scholar’s are artists, too. They paint, including paintings inspired by Jackson Pallock and Van Gogh, and they learn about painting on glass. They create colorful take-home paper carnations, pillows, acorn wreathes, ceramics, and they created a gallery for the school’s main entrance. 

Students are always looking for ways to help beautify the school. Our students created a google survey form to ask teachers what type of bulletin boards they would like. Students work together to add vision, color, and motivation to the walls of their elementary school.

When working from home, virtual learning includes activities and games, scavenger hunts, origami, Pictionary, charades, and so much more.

Carver 5th grade Scholars at Kendall Elementary School enjoy being challenged while having fun.

Carver is a vital before and after school part of the campus environment for almost all Norwalk schools, providing support, enrichment, and resources to address critical issues and enhance learning opportunities. Goals include individualized academic support and remediation and smooth grade-level transitions. We work closely with school leaders to develop effective programs and interventions.

A child’s educational success depends on a medley of factors. Family circumstances, teacher skills, school resources, and student motivation are each complimented and enhanced by Carver’s interventions and creative supports.

Fairfield County's Giving Day is Thursday, 2/25/21

Each year Carver is among the hundreds of Fairfield County nonprofits that participate in the online Fairfield County’s Giving Day.

As someone who grew up in Greenwich, I’ve seen firsthand the significant (massive) disparity in opportunities for kids of different socioeconomic backgrounds – which is part of the reason why I’m so thrilled to be a member of the Carver staff and supporting the mission of closing opportunity gaps in education.

Carver is aiming to win the $15,000 Grand Prize for Most Unique Donors. To achieve this, we’re asking you to participate by giving a gift of $10 or more on the Giving Day.

If you want to do even more, please consider being a peer-to-peer fundraiser to gather donations of $10 and up for Carver!

Here is the link to Carver’s Giving Day profile.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions. I’m here to make this as easy for you as possible!

Kindly,

Rachel Moledo

Resource Development & Engagement Coordinator; (203) 838-4305, ext 107; rachel@carvercenterct.org

Celebrating the contributions of Black authors, artists, and change-makers now and always

Since 1976, Americans have celebrated Black History Month each February—a time to honor the accomplishments of African Americans in the United States. We celebrate the contributions of Black authors, artists, and change-makers, as well as the quieter voices that make up the Black experience every day.

In honor of Black History Month, here are some favorite books by Black authors. The titles in this list cover critical time periods like the Great Depression and the civil rights movement as well as the lives of influential African American leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Ruby Bridges, Duke Ellington, and Rosa Parks, among others. Fictional stories that draw on themes of black history and feature strong African Americans are also included.

Carver’s Alexis Hooks is preparing for a career in interior design and real estate development

Typically, we interview our college students and alumni and share their stories with you here. In this case, Alexis wrote her own update, which we share with you here in its entirety.

Dear Carver Community,

The past two semesters I experienced this last year at Thomas Jefferson University have been a rollercoaster of emotions due to the current events happening in the world.

Currently, I am a senior undergraduate interior design student with a minor in real estate development going into my last semester at TJU. When the pandemic hit, the life I knew as a college student was altered, and the experiences and lessons I learned throughout those times continue to have benefited me in ways I never imagined. The skillset to adapt that I developed through my educational experience is the greatest lesson I value during the country’s shut down.

In my major, I have developed the ability to adapt and accept changes through the numerous design projects I had to complete these past few years. During the process of completing multiple projects, I needed to continually adapt my design to ensure that my project correlates to my concept and the knowledgeable insight gained from conversations with professors and professionals in my field.

As a result, this ability helped me successfully transition into online learning in just a week without any stress or problems arising with this new learning lifestyle. In response, with this new learning lifestyle, these past two semesters (my junior spring semester and senior fall semester) have been the strongest, as I made the dean’s list for the first time at the collegiate level; and just this past fall semester, I obtained a 4.0 GPA.

With my strong academic success, I received an invitation by the dean of my college and my professors to become a member of the Phi Alpha Chapter of Tau Sigma Delta, a national honor society for architecture and the allied arts. This society consists of undergraduates and graduate students at the top 20% of their class in GPA and recognizes intellectual achievement, effort, initiative, as well as leadership and character.

Additionally, I also received an invitation to join the Gensler University Connect program where I am mentored by two Gensler employees this year to help me improve my presentation abilities both visually and conversationally and guide me in the right direction, preparing me for the professional world after graduation. Furthermore, in the Gensler program, we have also had robust discussions about the ongoing conversation about inclusive design regarding community equity and black lives as the design world strives toward achieving equity in design.

As graduation slowly peeks around the corner, and my time at Thomas Jefferson University dwindles, I am very proud of all I accomplished while being at TJU these past four years. As a discombobulated freshman, I started and faced many challenges of learning new skills and information and getting used to Philadelphia as this new place I call home. Now, I am a strong-minded senior who embraces new challenges.

I am also managing to stay committed to the Campus Activities Board, The Black Student Union, The National Society of Leadership and Success, the International Interior Design Association, and the university’s track and field team for four consecutive years.

I am forever grateful for the beautiful experiences, lessons, and memories I gained at TJU, and I hope it will help me become a great interior designer and real estate developer with time. Upon graduation, I hope to be working for a firm as an interior designer in New York City or the surrounding area, as well as developing my career as a real estate developer, starting with properties in the sectors of hospitality and affordable housing.

I am ready to take the lessons and knowledge gained from my time at TJU and from my professors to tackle problems, situations and opportunities in the professional world.

Carver in the news: Norwalk schools to remain in current learning model for rest of year

Norwalk Public School students including Sheldon Thomas, 10, join their learning pod at the Carver Community Center, October 2, 2020, in Norwalk, Conn.

Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media

Erin Kayata, Jan. 26, 2021

See the entire article here.

NORWALK — Norwalk Public Schools announced they plan to continue the remainder of the school year using the current instructional model of hybrid/in-person learning, according to a news release from the mayor’s office.

The district is now asking for families to confirm what their student’s learning plan will be. In order to fill out the mid-year model questionnaire, families are asked to register with online service ZippSlip. An email invitation containing additional information and further instructions will be sent to families.

The school district has been having students in elementary school learn in-person five days a week. Students in middle and high school have been using a hybrid option, which allows them to rotate between in-person and remote learning throughout the week. Every family also has the option for full remote learning.

The district has found many families at the middle and high school level have been opting for the full remote model, prompting the schools to offer full in-person learning for middle and high school students failing a certain number of classes to get more students in the building. This option, which will be offered to certain students, will begin next month.

Check out the latest “NPS Shout Out” video featuring Nathan Hale Middle School.

Each "NPS Shout Out" highlights the fantastic learning and hard work that is taking place in our schools each day!

Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government

See the entire document here.

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:  

Section 1.  Policy.  Equal opportunity is the bedrock of American democracy, and our diversity is one of our country’s greatest strengths.  But for too many, the American Dream remains out of reach.  Entrenched disparities in our laws and public policies, and in our public and private institutions, have often denied that equal opportunity to individuals and communities.  Our country faces converging economic, health, and climate crises that have exposed and exacerbated inequities, while a historic movement for justice has highlighted the unbearable human costs of systemic racism.  Our Nation deserves an ambitious whole-of-government equity agenda that matches the scale of the opportunities and challenges that we face.

It is therefore the policy of my Administration that the Federal Government should pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.  Affirmatively advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity is the responsibility of the whole of our Government.  Because advancing equity requires a systematic approach to embedding fairness in decision-making processes, executive departments and agencies (agencies) must recognize and work to redress inequities in their policies and programs that serve as barriers to equal opportunity.  

By advancing equity across the Federal Government, we can create opportunities for the improvement of communities that have been historically underserved, which benefits everyone.  For example, an analysis shows that closing racial gaps in wages, housing credit, lending opportunities, and access to higher education would amount to an additional $5 trillion in gross domestic product in the American economy over the next 5 years.  The Federal Government’s goal in advancing equity is to provide everyone with the opportunity to reach their full potential.  Consistent with these aims, each agency must assess whether, and to what extent, its programs and policies perpetuate systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits for people of color and other underserved groups.  Such assessments will better equip agencies to develop policies and programs that deliver resources and benefits equitably to all….