HOT Schools Intern Position Available – Paid

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HOT SCHOOLS

INTERN POSITION AVAILABLE

Connecticut Higher Order Thinking (HOT) Schools in partnership with Wesleyan’s Green Street Center for Teaching and Learning is offering an internship to Wesleyan Students.

This is a unique opportunity for a highly organized, tech savvy individual interested in understanding the elements of planning, developing, implementing and managing a not-for-profit program which includes a year-long calendar of monthly professional development offerings in intensive, interactive, arts education experiences for artists, teachers, administrators and parents engaged in school culture change through strong arts, arts integration, and democratic practice statewide.

Duration:      October – December 2015

Details: 8 hours per week, schedule TBD

Description: Participating in event planning and implementation

  • Research and compile relevant resources
  • Creating and Tracking on-line registration using Google docs
  • Creating and compiling on-line surveys
  • Organizing materials and supplies for professional development offerings
  • General clerical duties; copying, filing, assembling materials, etc.
  • Updating and Maintaining database

Qualifications: self-starter, collaborative, use excel, use Google docs, audio visual equipment, general clerical skills, flexible, strong interpersonal skills

Stipend: $10 per hour, 8 hours per week, paid in bi-weekly installments

The program is a synthesis of educational pedagogy and strategic partnerships with teaching artists and arts and cultural organizations dedicated to cultivating arts energized school communities. Program interns assist in all aspects of planning and implementation of this program.

Applicants should email a resume and letter of interest to hotschools@wesleyan.edu

Student Spotlight: Alicia Gansley ’15

Civic engagement takes many forms at Wesleyan: volunteerism, activism and advocacy, community-based work, and more recently, unique academic experiences like service-learning and civic engagement courses.  Alicia Gansley ’15 – a Computer Science major completing the Economics minor and Civic Engagement certificate – has been involved with nearly all of these activities during her time at Wesleyan. In the fall of 2014, she brought her programming knowledge to COMP 342: Software Engineering, a service-learning course where groups of Computer Science majors developed special projects for local organizations. For insight on how working with a community partner affected her experience of this course, I asked Alicia a few questions about the service-learning component:

Q: What project did you work on this semester?
A: My group made a web application for Green Street Teaching and Learning Center to use to sign students up for one of its after school programs. Our system will allow Green Street to collect students’ contact information and course preferences, as well as allow the staff to keep track of this information throughout the semester.

Q: How did the experience of working on a project for an organization differ from working on a project for a typical academic course? Were there unexpected rewards and challenges that came with having a client?
A: It was a real pleasure working closely with Sara MacSorley at Green Street and learning more about their facility and programs. Part of what struck me about working on a project for a client was the fact that you can never just say “90% is enough.” We needed to always figure out some way to meet their specifications, which I think pushed the team to really learn and work together. I think it was a great motivation to produce our best work, and I’m excited to think we helped such a worthy organization with a hard working staff.

Q: Now that the course has ended, what’s next for your project? Does Green Street plan to implement your work?
A: A couple of students will be hired this Spring to polish all of the projects our class produced last semester. Hopefully, Green Street will be able to implement the project in the Fall.

Q: Why did you sign up for this course?
A: I signed up for the class mainly because I am pursuing a career in software engineering and I wanted to get some formal training in that field. I wanted an opportunity to take the time to learn Ruby and Ruby on Rails. I was also interested in taking a class where we would be undertaking a large scale, team-based programming project.

Q: How has this course influenced your career interests?
A: It solidified my interest in being a software developer and made me realize how much I value teamwork. It also made me realize how much work and thought goes into good software projects. I also realized that software can be used in all kinds of organizations to solve many different problems, and I’m really interested in seeing how I can use my programming skills to promote and help with other good causes in the future.

Q: What other student groups and activities are you involved with at Wesleyan?
A: I am a Publicity Assistant at the Wesleyan University Press and a course assistant in the Computer Science department. I was the web editor for The Argus and a peer advisor for the Patricelli Center. I have also been involved in feminist activism on campus and was the student leader for Democracy Matters, an organization that advocates for public financing of elections.

From the Wesleyan Engage Blog

A Feast for the Senses: A Sensational Success

Green Street’s Caribbean-themed A Feast for the Senses benefit auction held on Friday, April 8th was both sensational and successful.  Middletown community members, Wesleyan faculty, staff, and students, Green Street staff and volunteers, and many more filled the building on Friday night to bid on auction items and support students in Green Street’s Summer Arts and Science Academy and, the Young Women’s Leadership Institute.

Upon entering 51 Green Street, guests were met with the sweet sounds of steel pans from musical duo Mimosa. Melodies from Mento drifted from the second floor to accompany the anticipation in the tropically-colored rooms.  The event buzzed with excitement as attendees sampled Attendees browsing auction items.delicious hors d’houvres, perused the auction, and excitedly bid on their favorite items. While the online auction had already garnered $7,000 for Green Street’s Summer Youth Programs, guests still sought out spectacular items such as a Nintendo Wii with various games, wine baskets, Mets tickets, hand-crafted jewelry and scarves that handsomely adorned the tables.

During the program Managing Director Jessica Carso welcomed guests as they gathered in the Performance Studio to listen to heartfelt testimonials by 2011 Young Women’s Leadership Institute Coordinator Shamar Chin ‘13 and 2010 Summer Academy Science Teacher Julie Kastenbaum’09.  Many were especially touched when nine year-old student Kayla talked about “dealing with bad days” and just how Green Street has helped her “reach [her] full potential.” These inspiring speeches and the encouraging words of celebrity host and Master of Ceremonies Ray Hardman from WNPR made the “raise your paddle” portion of the event so successful: we raised $4,700 and ultimately surpassed our goal and raised a total of $43,000 to support the students enrolled in our Summer Youth Programs.

None of this would have been possible without our generous presenting sponsors Mary Beth and Stephen S. Daniel ’82. A special thank you to our additional supporters: Citizens Bank, IT Direct LLC., Shipman & Goodwin LLP, Done On the Run LLC, A.R. Mazzotta Employment Specialists, The Inn at Middletown, Middlesex Hospital, Centerbrook Architects and Planners, The Peach Pit Foundation, Terry Eastman, Barbara-Jan Wilson, Christine Pina, and Marlisa Simonson.

An especially heartfelt thank you to all who attended and made the event such a success: we would be nothing without our dedicated supporters!

 

If you weren’t able to join us, don’t worry, we are already planning our next big benefit event. Be sure to mark your calendars for the Tierney Sutton Jazz Band Performance, a benefit concert for our After School Arts & Science Program, on Friday, May 20, 2011.

Sunday Salon: Exploring the Masters of Wesleyan’s DanceMasters Weekend

Suzanne Farrell Ballet
"Meditation", Suzanne Farrell Ballet

For the past eleven years, in collaboration with Wesleyan University’s Dance Department, Center for the Arts Director Pamela Tatge has brought contemporary dance to Middletown from around the world.  On February 27th at 2pm community members are invited to join her at Green Street Arts Center’s Sunday Salon Discussion Series where dance becomes more than an experience of rhythmic movement, but also the start of great conversations.

Taking her passion for dance far beyond traditional pre-performance talks and post-show conversations with artists, Tatge’s unmitigated enthusiasm for contemporary dance transformed the Center for the Arts program offerings. Under her leadership, the arts are now reaching directly into classrooms, where visiting artists and faculty members are initiating
interdisciplinary learning methods that span the university curriculum.

Otis Donovan Herring, member of Evidence, A Dance company in "Two-Year Old Gentlemen" choreographed by Ronald K. Brown
"Two-Year Old Gentlemen" choreographed by Ronald K. Brown

This year Tatge and her team have gone above and beyond for their phenomenal spring dance program with dance ranging from modern American to ballet to indigenous works from Brazil and Hawaii. For the highly anticipated  12th annual DanceMasters Weekend, March 5-6, two giants of the dance world, Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, A Dance Company and the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, along with relative newcomer Gallim Dance Company, will be taking the stage.  Andrea Miller, Gallim’s founder and artistic director, is this year’s winner of the CFA’s annual Mariam McGlone Emerging Choreographer Award.

In her Green Street discussion, Tatge will share her experiences and expertise with the companies she was responsible for bringing to the area.  She will look back at the illustrious dance companies that have taken the stage over the past twelve years, including the José Límon, Paul Taylor, Sean Curran, Urban Bush Women
companies, and preview this year’s DanceMasters Weekend.

Pupil, Gallim Dance Co.
"Pupil", Galim Dance

Thanks to Tatge, dance is truly being used to unearth connections between artistic practices, modes of academic inquiry, and bonds of community in Middletown.

The Sunday Salon Discussion Series is a monthly series of intriguing conversations with Wesleyan faculty, staff, and alumni, held this month on Sunday, February 27 at 2pm.  Salons are accompanied by treats from O’Rourke’s Diner.  This event is held at Green Street Arts Center located at 51 Green Street in Middletown.  Admission is a suggested donation of $5.  For more information or to register call 860-685-7871 or visit www.greenstreetartscenter.org.  This series is co-sponsored by the Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies at Wesleyan (www.wesleyan.edu/masters).

Submitted by Sydney Lowe, ’13

Social Justice, Education, and Geoffrey Canada: A Green Street Worker’s Response

On January 21st, Harlem Children’s Zone founder and Waiting for Superman contributor Geoffrey Canada came to Middletown to speak at Wesleyan University’s Social Justice Leadership Conference.  A Bronx native and long-time educator, Canada’s defense of the importance of quality education in the inner city comes from personal experience.  Many involved at Green Street were in attendance, and one Wesleyan student was inspired to write about Canada’s words and how they apply to the work she does in Green Street’s After School Arts & Science Program.

Sam’s response:

Geoffrey Canada’s lecture was certainly just as relevant and inspiring as it was a call to action. He asserted that at the moment, America is not living up to its potential in providing equal, first-rate education to every one of its children. Progress is made by going the extra mile, beyond the expected and what is simply required, even if that means working for the cause around the clock and in spite of hardships, frustrations, and setbacks. Canada stressed the importance of all citizens taking accountability for the quality of education in America. We are all responsible for how children learn and are taught, just as we are responsible for the kind of attention they receive. Politicians and reformers with power and influence are definitely making progress as witnessed in a public arena, but Canada said that not everyone can be a “general” in the education reform struggle. “Soldiers”, those who work on the front lines directly with students, out of the spotlight, are also necessary.

Education reform begins with the belief in every child’s academic potential, right to good education, and opportunity for growth. That belief fuels the work we do at Green Street, and our faith in the ability of each child manifests itself in our encouragement and interactions with them. By treating every student as an individual and catering to their interests and concerns, our students understand that they matter and that they are capable of achievement. The people of Green Street are very much the kind of “soldiers” about which Canada spoke. Little by little, differences are made in the lives of the children as they spend a few hours after school at Green Street each day. The extra academic enrichment and care they receive are small steps to making a big difference in not only their extra-curricular learning, but also in their entire academic, social, and developmental lives.

Submitted by Samantha Maldonado, ’13, After School support staff

A Place for Community Involvement within Academia: Students Respond to Stimulating Article

helping handsRecently, the Hartford Courant published an opinion piece by Harvard University student, Alexander Heffner on the importance of community involvement in higher education.  According to Mr. Heffner, “College should be home to learning that has consistent social application — not to students glued to their textbooks in straitjackets for the sake of passing courses. Learning should draw a connection between course material and its potential relevance in the ‘real world.’” Click here to read the whole article.

Wesleyan University’s Green Street Arts Center is a perfect vehicle for what Mr. Heffner feels is lacking in the collegiate experience.  Green Street is an extension of Wesleyan University into Middletown’s North End.  Every day we have students from Wesleyan University and Middlesex Community College come to intern in the office, work with after school students, volunteer, and take part in recreational classes or events.

Upon reading Mr. Heffner’s opinion, we were inspired to ask our own students to share their thoughts on the matter. We encourage you to leave a comment with your response to the article as well!

Isabel Dickinson ‘11
Isabel DickinsonAs a student at Wesleyan, a university that encourages service learning, community involvement, study abroad, and growth outside of the classroom through the arts and sciences, I feel that this article does not accurately describe American collegiate institutions.  However, after a moment of reflection, I have to take into consideration the amount of initiative it takes for any one student to become more active in the community in which they live and study. It is not the institution’s sole responsibility to make their students active; anything less than making community service a requirement for graduation will leave some students inactive.  But for the most part, I think that the majority of students are not willing to let experiences such as tutoring underprivileged youth or participating in Feet to the Fire or taking a service learning course, among many other opportunities, go by the wayside in their four years at an elite institution such as Wesleyan.

Sydney Lowe ‘13
Sydney LoweAlexander Heffner is adamant that colleges should require community involvement—in his article he calls for a redefinition of the collegiate education system, advocating for a new civic focus on learning. I think he’s completely right.

In my experience, most university students tend not to recognize the significant connections between service learning and their academics when they should.  I, on the other hand, grew up where community involvement was an actual requirement.  In my New York City public high school, all students were required to complete a minimum of 40 hours of community service per year.  I spent my four years volunteering at libraries, at children’s museums, and most memorably coaching my middle school swim team.  By the time I had graduated, I’d simultaneously completed over 400 hours of community service and cultivated an appreciation for service learning that I’ll carry with me for years to come.  It is this appreciation that I see all the time at Wesleyan.  Founded on the dual principles of scholarship and service to community, Wesleyan University stands as an exemplar to other schools.  There are so many incredible opportunities to get involved on campus and in the surrounding Middletown community; it would honestly be a shame for those who didn’t take advantage of them.  Service learning shouldn’t have to be a requirement, but I think rather needs to be an integral part of the human philosophy: we should do it because we sincerely want to—because we want to change the world starting with our local communities.  I’m so glad to have found a family at Green Street Arts Center where I can fully participate in service learning and make a difference.  I’m excited to get to know the others who will join me in saving the world as well!

Alanna Badgley ‘13
Alanna BadgleyWith Thanksgiving coming up, I am bound to answer the question, “how is school going?” more times than I will be able to count.  My answer will not start with a review of my classes, or a recap of the most recent concert I went to.  Instead, I will be most likely to talk about how I spend my afternoons.  From 3-6pm every school day, I’m not napping as a result of a late night cram session the night before, but rather I’m at Green Street Arts Center working with the After School Arts and Science Program.  My second year at Wesleyan University is also my second year at the center, which I initially discovered through a community service initiative during my freshman orientation. As a result, I am now on first name, high-fiving basis with more than one hundred youth in Middletown, many of whom I see as I walk down Main Street, or that I sled with down the hill on our campus when it begins to snow.  This is my college experience.  I’m not isolated in a bubble of academia. I’m intimately involved with my community, and will leave Wesleyan in two and a half years not only with a Bachelor’s degree and a few good stories, but also with the fulfillment of truly connecting with the community around me.

Charming Yu ‘13
Charming YuThere are many forms of learning, and while the standardized classroom environment is crucial, I also believe that community engagement is a well-rounded approach.  After exploring Wesleyan University’s Office of Community Service last school year, I learned about Green Street Arts Center and began actively participating in its After School Arts & Science Program.  Being a part of the After School Program gives me the opportunity to interact with not only my fellow Wesleyan University students, but also volunteers from high schools and colleges in the area.  Perhaps more importantly, I am also able to interact with the younger generation (elementary and middle school students) and see how various changes, especially technological advances, in the past decade distinguish their experiences from my own experiences when I was in primary school.  Being involved in the community alters my perspective and helps me see where I stand in relation to different social circles, something that is difficult to achieve when you stay in your college bubble.  However, staying involved in the community and understanding the situations around you is only the first step to tackling the various problems the 21st century presents.

William Tyner ‘13
William TynerIn the opinion of a Wesleyan University student, what sets Wesleyan apart from other liberal arts institutions is its strong encouragement of student community involvement.  Throughout the school, there are numerous programs in which students can get involved such as WesReads, WesMath, and Green Street Arts Center, among others.  With great effort, Wesleyan tries to bridge the gap between educational theory and its application, and as a transfer student that is precisely why I chose to attend Wes over other liberal arts colleges.  I think it is crucial that as students, we have the opportunity to descend from our ivory towers and apply our often overly theoretical knowledge of the world to contribute something with real and tangible outcomes to society.  While many students are compelled to participate in social engagement, many do not do so, and I believe that it is the institutions job to promote it.  To me, the overall goal of an education is to cultivate our reflexive self-examination skills by adapting what we learn in the maths, sciences, humanities, and so forth, to our own individual projects and goals and simultaneously to the progress toward the common good. Along with developing excellent numeracy and literacy skills, the goal of education should be to prepare students for civic engagement by encouraging them to get involved in their community, and this is something that few institutions foster in their curriculum.  For example, this semester I am taking a Sociology of Education course that requires each student to observe and volunteer at a local school.  This type of curriculum gives me a place to actively apply the knowledge learned in class to my observations and volunteer experiences at the local school.  I am then able to apply my practical knowledge of society that is influenced by my academic knowledge to my work at Green Street.  Green Street is a place where students from all different corners of the community can come and contribute something meaningful to society, and I believe that having an outlet to positively influence society is a powerful asset.  Green Street is a prime exemplar of the coalescence of academic theory and its real world, practical application.  The fact that Wesleyan strongly encourages its students to become a part of the Green Street community and other Middletown community organizations is something truly special and beneficial in the long run.

Jenny Huang ‘11
Jenny HuangAttending college is often regarded as “training for the real world,” but consider this: we’re already living in the real world.  As college students striving to be engaged and responsible global citizens, we must start within our own community.  Working with and learning from people with diverse backgrounds is just as important as the research we develop with our fellow scholars.  The various and numerous resources that Wesleyan students have at their disposals enhance our power as citizens to make a positive impact in the community we live in.  An existing model for university engagement within the community includes Green Street, which draws upon the dynamic resources of Wesleyan and Middletown in an effort to enrich the lives of the students and families that utilize the facilities.  Privileged institutions, like universities, have the ability and obligation to foster a sense of social responsibility among students to engage in community advocacy.  Incorporating hands-on involvement into the curriculum would support Wesleyan’s recently launched Making Excellence Inclusive initiative, which aims to re-imagine “how to better educate our students to become more effective and thoughtful citizens.”  As Heffner suggests, we must redefine the priorities of today’s colleges.  The ivory tower does not have to be a bubble!  We may be students for only a limited time, but we are citizens for life.  Look around–this is the community we live in and it sure is real, so what are we waiting for?

Camille Martin ‘11
Camille MartinAlexander Heffner has an interesting point of view on college curriculum.  It’s important for students to relate what they learn in class rooms to their environment.  This type of hands on experience will carry them through college and the rest of their lives.  Student’s often become preoccupied with passing classes and don’t spend time applying what they learn.  However, most colleges offer humanities and science courses in which you can intern or volunteer in the community.  Coming from a community college I’ve been able to intern and work in the community. In fact, the college I attend offers a human services program where you choose two internships your second year. Interning at Green Street Arts Center I get to work with kids in an art setting.  This experience counts toward my college credit and is viewed as an actual class.  Working in a field I’m interested in has taught me things I’d never learn in a class room setting and has enabled me to apply what I’ve learned in school so far!

Gabe Gordon ‘11
Gabe GordonAs a student majoring in Philosophy at a liberal arts university, I know what it means for higher education to remain tied down in an abstract, seemingly arbitrary level of learning.  I agree with Mr. Heffner’s plea for an American educational system that emphasizes more hands-on community involvement over the rote standardization of knowledge.  I am also grateful that my school helped found the Green Street Arts Center in an effort to collaborate with the town in which it resides. Dozens of my fellow students volunteer as tutors, private music teachers, and support staff at Green Street’s After School Program.  The kids and students work together to give back to the community through the arts.  Organizations like Green Street are invaluable parts of any community that wishes to unite people of all generations and backgrounds and to realize the ideas that Mr. Heffner proposes.

To close, I would like to add, that Green Street is not the only way Wesleyan continues to work with Middletown.  Wesleyan has the Center for Community Partnerships (CCP), where combining the assets of the Service-Learning Center, the Office of Community Service and Volunteerism, the Office of Community Relations, and Green Street Arts Center, the CCP seeks to serve the development of both the individual and the community, guided by principles of mutual respect and shared responsibility.  While many colleges have these types of programs, how many are actively encouraging their students to participate?  And how many have resources like Wesleyan’s CCP and Green Street Arts Center?  How many students are looking to get involved in their communities?  The resources are there. Reach out. Find them.

Compiled by Lisa Bruno, Development Assistant, and Rachel Roccoberton Griffin, Administrative Assistant, with the help of the above students

To reach out and find ways in which you can get involved in Green Street Arts Center, call 860-685-7871 or email gsac@wesleyan.edu.

Upcoming Native Arts & Events Series Not to be Missed

Native Dance

I find that Native American dance is usually misunderstood by the general public, if not entirely overlooked.  Knowing that Green Street offers a number of dance classes and workshops, and that Wesleyan has a vibrant Dance Department, I thought there would be plenty of interest to hold a workshop on Native American dance.  Join Rebecca Perry-Levy (Pequot/Narragansett) and her family in an exploration of a number of different Native American Dance traditions, in full regalia. This workshop includes a question and answer forum, in depth explanation, and teaching of social dances.  Participation is welcome, but not necessary.  Please join us on Saturday, September 25th, 2-4pm whether you want to dance or simply sit back and enjoy!

Be sure to join us for other events in this fantastic series:

File Under Miscellaneous StillThe next event in the series is a special Halloween-themed film screening on Friday, October 29th, at 7pm.  Montreal-based writer and director Jeff Barnaby (Mi’kmaq) will discuss The Colony and his new film, File Under Miscellaneous, both of which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.  File Under Miscellaneous received a warm reception at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and has been called “a dark SciFi gem” by critic Todd Brown. Barnaby’s psychological thrillers will make you reconsider stereotypes of what Native/First Nations art “should be.”  In addition, there will be a screening of Bruce Curliss’ (Nipmuc) short film Survivor, which deals with the atrocities committed against the Nipmuc at Deer Island.  On October 30, 1675, Native people from what is now South Natick were removed to Deer Island in Boston Harbor.  Without adequate food, clothing, or shelter, the majority of the people—mostly women, children, and elders—perished. (Viewers should note that The Colony and File Under Miscellaneous are not suitable for viewers under the age of 18 without parental accompaniment.)

On Friday, November 12, at 7pm, Green Street will be hosting a panel moderated by anthropologist and UMass Boston professor Amy Den Ouden. Panelists will include Schaghticoke elder Trudie Lamb Richmond and Ruth Garby Torres, also a member of the Schaticoke Nation, and representatives from the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation and the Golden Hill Paugussett Indian Nation. Our knowledgeable panelists will discuss issues facing their tribes, including federal recognition. They will happily answer questions from the audience, with the hope that the event will be an open, informative dialogue.

Submitted by Stephanie Elliott, Friend of Green Street and Publicist at Wesleyan University Press

To reserve your spot for any of these events, call 860-685-7871 or email gsac@wesleyan.edu.Native Dance

Native American Dance Workshop

Saturday, September 25 | 2pm

General: $10; Members/Students/Seniors: $8

This event is co-sponsored by the Wesleyan Dance Department.

File Under Miscellaneous: Short Films

Friday, October 29 | 7 pm

Suggest donation: $5

The State of Native Connecticut

Friday, November 12 | 7 pm

Suggest donation: $5