Carver after-school students build straw towers as a STEM learning project

Carver after-school students at Brookside Elementary School built straw towers yesterday as a STEM learning project. Our Lead Program Coordinator Lauren Leal, a 5th Grade Teacher, never fails to keep our students thrilled about learning!

Students learned about civil engineering as they took on the challenge to design and build the tallest straw tower possible, given limited time and resources.

In the first mini-activity (one-straw tall tower), students design a way to keep one straw upright with the least amount of tape and the fewest additional straws. In the second mini-activity (no "fishing pole"), they determine the most number of straws possible to construct a vertical straw tower before it bends at 45 degrees—resembling a fishing pole shape. Students learn that the taller a structure, the more tendency it has to topple over.

In the culminating challenge (tallest straw tower), students apply what they have learned and follow the steps of the engineering design process to create the tallest possible model tower within time, material and building constraints, mirroring the real-world engineering experience of designing solutions within constraints.

Thanks to the Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative, Carver is able to offer these programs. The 21st CCLC initiative is the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to supporting local afterschool, before-school, and summer learning programs. The program serves nearly 2 million youth, nationwide through grants awarded by state education agencies. This funding awarded to Carver by the Connecticut State Department of Education through a very competitive grant process provides for academic enrichment activities that help students meet state and local achievement standards. Carver is also able to offer a broad array of additional enrichment services designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program, such as STEM programs, and physical activity and nutrition education programs. Carver also offers literacy and related educational development services to the families of children we serve.

The Chess Club of Fairfield County teaches Carver students at Brookside Elementary School

The Chess Club of Fairfield County visited with our Lead Program Coordinator Lauren Leal, a 5th Grade Teacher, and her Carver after-school students at Brookside Elementary School yesterday.

As you can see in the video below, the Chess Club of Fairfield County has been working with Carver kids for many years.

Learning chess, like learning to play an instrument, is a complex endeavor that rewards diligence. The more time our students are able to invest in it, and the more angles they approach it from, the more they will improve.

In addition to one-on-one lessons, our students can sometimes play in competitive events where they and their opponents take the game seriously and are trying their utmost. Learning how to think in this context, and analyzing their moves rigorously subsequent to making this level of effort, are crucial to success.

This full-service chess club is the only such club in Connecticut, and one of only a small handful in the nation. Educational services include private instruction, group instruction, school classes, and chess camps. Recreational services include casual play, USCF-rated tournaments, and team matches. The common element of all of their services is an uncompromising dedication to elevating chess.

Thanks to the Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative, Carver is able to offer these programs to our elementary school students. The 21st CCLC initiative is the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to supporting local afterschool, before-school, and summer learning programs. The program serves nearly 2 million youth, nationwide through grants awarded by state education agencies. This funding awarded to Carver by the Connecticut State Department of Education through a very competitive grant process provides for academic enrichment activities that help students meet state and local achievement standards. Carver is also able to offer a broad array of additional enrichment services designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program, such as STEM programs, and physical activity and nutrition education programs. Carver also offers literacy and related educational development services to the families of children we serve.

See the video and the photos from our 2022 Child of America Gala!

The Child of America Gala returned last Friday evening at Shorehaven Golf Club!

See the gala program journal here.

See all the photos here in our Facebook album.

See all our sponsor thank-you videos here.

Our Child of America gala guests enjoyed the wonderful fellowship, music, auction, and dinner our celebrations are known for. We heard from Carver leaders and a Carver intern working at Norwalk Hospital. We saw videos of Carver’s “Decades of Impact” and a short video about our Earn & Learn program at Norwalk Hospital.

See and hear about our journey since 1938, including comments from alumni!

Our 2022 honoree Jerry Craft taught Carver kids for more than 10 years. Jerry is an American cartoonist and children's book illustrator best known for his syndicated newspaper comic strip Mama's Boyz and his graphic novel New Kid. Jerry is one of only a handful of syndicated African American cartoonists in the US. Jerry is the New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of the graphic novels New Kid and Class Act. New Kid is the only book in history to win each of these three awards: the John Newbery Medal, the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature, and the Coretta Scott King Author Award.

Participate virtually here in our 2022 Child of America gala Paddle Raise!

If you cannot attend the gala this evening but would like to participate virtually in our Paddle Raise to support our 11 summer programs across Norwalk serving more than 1,000 youth:

Please make a donation here!

The Child of America Gala will honor the acclaimed author Jerry Craft and celebrate “Decades of Impact.” See the event program journal here. See our Thank-You videos to all our sponsors here. See our live auction here.

Carver 5th Grade Scholars experience hands-on science aboard the R/V Spirit of the Sound

Carver students in our 5th Grade Scholars after-school program at Jefferson Elementary School spent two-hours yesterday aboard the Maritime Aquarium’s revolutionary R/V Spirit of the Sound! The Carver scholars enjoyed an exciting hands-on experience in examining, monitoring, and discovering Long Island Sound.

The Maritime Aquarium’s R/V Spirit of the Sound is the first research vessel in the country with hybrid-electric propulsion. She runs quietly and “green.” The 64-foot catamaran has a climate-controlled indoor classroom and an outdoor research space. Equipped with a wide range of sampling and scientific equipment, she’s bringing the marine world and scientific inquiry alive for our new generation of students.

In 2014, "Spirit of the Sound" replaced the Aquarium's 40-foot, 34-year-old diesel-powered trawler, R/V Oceanic. With more room inside and out, the new research vessel doubles the Aquarium's capacity for getting students out on the water.

One among the vessel’s many exciting pieces of technology is a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). The ROV has propellers, lights, and cameras. It can be lowered to the bottom of Long Island Sound where students can look in on all the creatures and shipwrecks alike!

Thanks to the Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative, Carver is able to offer these programs. The 21st CCLC initiative is the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to supporting local afterschool, before-school, and summer learning programs. The program serves nearly 2 million youth, nationwide through grants awarded by state education agencies. This funding awarded to Carver by the Connecticut State Department of Education through a very competitive grant process provides for academic enrichment activities that help students meet state and local achievement standards. Carver is also able to offer a broad array of additional enrichment services designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program, such as STEM programs, and physical activity and nutrition education programs. Carver also offers literacy and related educational development services to the families of children we serve.

Will Kirkaldy speaks with Carver kids about how to overcome personal obstacles with perseverance

Thanks to the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) and Dalio Education, Will Kirkaldy visited with Carver youth yesterday in the Richard Whitcomb Gymnasium at the Carver Community Center.

Will Kirkaldy spoke about how to overcome personal obstacles with perseverance.

CCM and Dalio Education are bringing in Will Kirkaldy to speak at Connecticut public schools across the state so students can learn more about what it takes to overcome adversity and triumph over tragedy.

Kirkaldy presented lessons learned from his daunting journey.

“Will Kirkaldy has faced incredible adversity in his life, and through perseverance, found a way forward for himself,” said Joe DeLong, CCM Executive Director and CEO. “Things weren’t easy for him growing up in Brooklyn - until basketball showed him a new direction. But then he was falsely accused of a major crime, and later a car accident took a leg and he lost a future as a college scholarship basketball player. But he continued to persevere. As a teacher, basketball coach, and community leader, he seeks to instill his lessons learned to today’s students, who often face daunting challenges on a daily basis.”

“One drill he always teaches his clients is called retreat. In this drill, you are dribbling backward, but he advises his clients to keep their eyes on the rim because even though they are retreating, getting to the rim is still the goal.

“Don’t ever give up, continue to look at that goal. I’m going to play until, until, until…”

He pauses for a while after that third until.

Until...all of my college offers are gone because I was accused of a crime I didn’t commit? Until I wake up in a hospital not knowing if I’ll ever walk again? Until I get my leg amputated?

Kirkaldy has already played past all of those roadblocks, so there really is no "until" anything. The bottom line is that Will Kirkaldy will always play basketball, no matter what obstacles get in the way.

Will Krikaldy will never retire.”

Carver students at Jefferson Elementary School visited Seaquest and Earthplace!

Our students in grades 3 to 5 at Jefferson Elementary Schools recently visited SeaQuest. Seaquest in Trumbull offers over 20,000 square feet of adventure where our young students were invited to touch, feed & interact with animals from five continents, and experience one of the most interactive aquariums in Connecticut!

SeaQuest brings the majestic wonders of our planet, ranging from rainforests and deserts to exotic marine life. These exhibits created an exciting quest for our students as they made their way through an Icelandic Fishing Village, the Great Wall of China, to the Amazon River & beyond. Carver kids connected with animals and learned about their ecosystems through various hands-on activities which included hand-feeding sharks, stingrays, birds & tropical animals.

They experienced walk-in aviaries, coming face-to-face with crocodilians by feeding the caiman. They saw the premier 36,000-gallon exhibit filled with reef sharks, stingrays & hundreds of tropical fish.

Also, our before- and after-school students in kindergarten to 2nd grade at Jefferson Elementary School visited Earthplace in Westport. Earthplace maintains a 62-acre wildlife sanctuary, the largest open space area in Westport, with a variety of habitats including fields, forests, ponds, and a stream. The sanctuary is crisscrossed by about two miles of trails and features Nature’s Playground. Our students received lessons in science, conservation, and education into pathways for learning about nature and the environment.

Thanks to the Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative, Carver is able to offer these programs. The 21st CCLC initiative is the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to supporting local afterschool, before-school, and summer learning programs. The program serves nearly 2 million youth, nationwide through grants awarded by state education agencies. This funding awarded to Carver by the Connecticut State Department of Education through a very competitive grant process provides for academic enrichment activities that help students meet state and local achievement standards. Carver is also able to offer a broad array of additional enrichment services designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program, such as STEM programs, and physical activity and nutrition education programs. Carver also offers literacy and related educational development services to the families of children we serve.

Many thanks to Representative Stephanie Thomas for your years of support and for your best wishes (in advance) for our gala this Friday!

Carver students at Nathan Hale and their families go bowling!

Our B.A.R.K. after-school students at Nathan Hale Middle School and their families hit the lanes and had a joyous time at Bowlero Norwalk.

Bowlero, the nation’s largest owner and operator of bowling centers, is a blacklight bowling, retro-inspired hangout powered by an outrageous menu of Oversized Shareables, and... nostalgia.

It’s easy to forget everything you thought bowling could be—and experience the kind of epic fun that only happens when you go to Bowlero.

Thank you, Dr. Danita Coverson, a teacher at Nathan Hale, for helping out at our family night event!

And thank you for your leadership, Christy Counts, a Nathan Hale Middle School 8th Grade teacher of Language Arts and House Leader, and the Director of our B.A.R.K. After-school Program and our 6th Grade Summer Transition Program.

Bowling is a great activity for our families because it's something everyone can do. Whether you need bumpers or ramps to make the experience more enjoyable for children or less experienced bowlers, bowling is a good time for everyone and a great way to build friendships.

Volunteer Dominique Horah-Nanez introduces the field of nursing to Carver high school students

Dominique Horah-Nanez, a Registered Nurse at Danbury Hospital, recently coached a group of Carver high school students in the Tech Center on the second floor of the Carver Community Center.

Like our workforce development program partner Norwalk Hospital, Danbury Hospital is a member of Nuvance Health.

Dominique is married to Tony Nanez who also has been volunteering his time with Carver scholars.

Dominique shared her advice and guidance about the field of nursing, how to balance work and family life, and how to be open to the possibility of returning to school later in life to acquire new skills as she did with nursing. She also emphasized the importance of having mentors and embracing the many other forms of support that Carver offers.

She explained that nursing is an attractive career to consider because of the occupation’s scheduling flexibility, especially if you are raising children, and because it will always be in high demand.

Dominique explained that the nursing career field has changed greatly through the decades. When nursing began it had very little to do with formal medical training and everything to do with your gender and willingness to do the job. In the early days of nursing, women learned medical skills from their mothers or other women in the same profession. Women were caretakers generations ago, so nursing was just an extension of what their roles at home were.

Then, Florence Nightingale, an English social reformer and statistician, founded modern nursing. She came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, in which she organized care for wounded soldiers at Constantinople.

Today, the nursing profession requires extensive training programs and more diversified staff, and it enjoys a high level of prestige in the medical field.

Time has done a lot for many career paths, but the nursing field has seen a drastic change. Today, there are many nursing programs, specialties, degrees, and certifications for different types of nursing.

It’s no surprise that technology and new discoveries have changed jobs across virtually all industries, but it’s especially true for those that work in healthcare. Today, many of the medical advancements we take for granted make it possible for nurses to save countless lives, prioritizing patient care and comfort much more than they were able to before.

After becoming a nursing assistant or registered nurse, there is still a near-limitless potential for pursuing a career that suits everyone’s unique passions and interests. Nurses today can continue their studies and receive specialized certifications and degrees, many of them working in fields that didn’t even exist until recently, advancing their careers and increasing their long-term earning potential.