Author Archives: Woody

Dr. Miguel Cardona Is National Distinguished Principal

I’m delighted to report that the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS) has selected Dr. Miguel Cardona as Connecticut’s 2012 National Distinguished Principal.

This is a well-deserved recognition of a remarkable educator. CAS will honor Dr. Cardona locally at the “Celebration of Distinguished Administrators” on October 25, 2012. He will also travel to Washington, D.C., in October to be honored along with other National Distinguished Principals from the other 49 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

My heartiest congratulations go out to Dr. Cardona. I’m so proud and honored that he is an active member of our Alma Exley scholarship family.

And, while I’m at it, I’m also tipping my hat to our distinguished selection committee. They had the foresight in 1998 to choose Miguel as an Alma Exley Scholar when he was at Central Connecticut State University.

Dr. Carol Virostek, a former State Teacher of the Year who has served on the selection committee since the beginning, said she wasn’t surprised by this recognition.

“All of us on the committee were impressed by Miguel’s talent, his accomplishments and his commitment to education,” she said. “It has been a great pleasure to see him advance in his career and have such a big impact in his hometown of Meriden and well beyond in the years since then.”

Miguel joined the faculty of Israel Putnam School in Meriden, Conn., in 1998. Then in 2003, at the age of 27, he became the state’s youngest principal when he was named to lead Hanover Elementary School. He earned a doctorate from the University of Connecticut in 2011.

Ever humble and gracious, Dr. Cardona said, “I would not have been eligible to receive this prestigious recognition had it not been for the supportive and student-driven environment that Meriden provides. The professionals here understand the importance of supporting one another and aim to focus their energies on what is best for children.”

Here’s what CAS said in announcing the award:
“Dr. Cardona is known for his insistence on high standards and his single-minded commitment to high levels of student learning.
“He has coupled passion and courage with purpose and direction to build a vibrant, nurturing, child-oriented community where student achievement is abounding; teachers are challenged and supported; and parents are fully engaged in the life of the school.
“He has succeeded in boosting the academic achievement of a diverse and challenging student body while at the same time enhancing the social and cultural climate of the school. Visitors to Hanover are immediately struck by the warm, open and caring environment fostered by Dr. Cardona.”

Dr. Cardona has initiated a number of programs that have helped to improve student learning at Hanover.
• The “Million Word Club” is a literacy initiative that rewards students who read one million words with a monthly non-cafeteria lunch with the principal.
• “Leaders’ Literacy Day” welcomes local leaders into classrooms to read books and discuss their role in the community.
• “Success Time” allocates 30-minute learning slots during which teachers provide individualized literacy instruction for students.

One of Dr. Cardona’s greatest successes has been his ability to increase parental involvement. Each school year begins with a “First Day Celebration.” He greets parents and students on the school lawn and personally escorts them into the building to meet teachers and visit classrooms.

He makes parents feel like valued and vital members of the school community, and Hanover has achieved 100 percent parent participation in student conferences for the past five years.

Says Dr. Kristina Talbert-Slagle, a Hanover parent, “Dr. Cardona emphasizes that student learning involves not only the school, but also the parents and the community, and that our involvement in our children’s learning is always welcome. He is a committed, passionate educator, principal and child advocate, actively engaged in promoting student achievement and fostering connections between home and school.”

Dr. Cardona has had an impact as a leader in the Meriden community and statewide.

He co-founded the Meriden Coalition for Educational Excellence, a two-year-old pro-education advocacy group which has united community members in support of education funding for the Meriden schools.

He co-chaired a task force formed by the Connecticut Legislature to address the academic achievement gap in the state’s schools. As guest speaker at our annual scholarship reception in 2011, he gave an inspirational message about his work on the achievement and the role of teachers of color in today’s public schools.

Colleagues in Meriden view Dr. Cardona as a gifted administrator who is able to balance a strong professional focus with a warm personality. They say he is both a leader and a listener; he supports yet challenges.

Here’s what some of them said upon learning of the award:
Dr. Mark Benigni, superintendent: “Dr. Cardona is an exceptional leader who brings out the best in his staff and students.”

Robert Angeli, associate superintendent: “The high academic and behavioral standards at Hanover School are nestled in a welcoming and nurturing school climate focused on the social and emotional growth of the students.”

Susan Perrone, supervisor of Language Arts K-5: “Hanover is successful not only because Dr. Cardona expects excellence, but also because he is a principal who consistently demonstrates hard work, admirable character, diligence, empathy and drive.”

Pamela Dominello, first grade teacher: “Miguel instills in us the belief that we are all responsible for student success. He motivates us through his example and by providing us with the support and resources that we need to be effective, caring educators.”

I’m pleased to share this great news about an outstanding Alma Exley Scholar who is making a difference in the lives of so many fortunate students.
– Woody Exley

Jessica Raugitinane Honored as 2012 Alma Exley Scholar

Educators and supporters of the Alma Exley Scholarship Program honored Jessica Raugitinane at a reception at the Elmwood Community Center in West Hartford on April 26, 2012.

Ms. Raugitinane became the 23rd recipient honored by the program since 1996. She was completing her junior year in the five-year Integrated Bachelor’s and Master’s Program at the University of Connecticut. She is pursuing majors in Elementary Education, English and Spanish, with a minor in Latino Studies.

Guest speaker at the reception was Desi Nesmith, 2000 recipient of the Alma Exley Scholarship, who serves as principal of Metacomet School in Bloomfield. Introducing Ms. Raugitinane was Violet Jiménez Sims, a Spanish teacher at New Britain High School who was honored by the scholarship program in 2008.

Two other previous recipients also attended to congratulate Ms. Raugitinane. They were Dr. Santosha Oliver, an administrator in the East Hartford Public Schools, and Sacha Kelly, a mathematics teacher at the Global Experience Magnet School in Bloomfield.

Woody Exley, who hosted the reception, acknowledged the support of hundreds of individuals who have contributed to the scholarship program over the past 16 years.

Ms. Raugitinane has an exemplary record of public service in education. Most recently, she has volunteered in the America Reads program at Kinsella Magnet School in Hartford and in the Family Literacy program in Storrs.

Serving with International Student Volunteers in the summer of 2010, she taught students age 3 to 16 in a one-room school in an impoverished, remote area of the Dominican Republic. Previously, she volunteered as a tutor and teacher’s assistant at schools and community programs in Alexandria, Va.; Washington, D.C.; and Windham, Putnam and Willimantic, Conn.

A consistent Dean’s List student at UConn, she has been elected to the Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society.

Violet Jiménez Sims: Thoughts on a Horrible Word

 Violet Jiménez Sims, recipient from 2008, writes about her experience at New Britain High School, where she teaches Spanish. Ms. Jimenez Sims earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Connecticut and is a graduate of Connecticut’s Alternate Route to Certification. Posted January 20, 2012.

As I walk down the hall of an urban high school, I hear the N-word being thrown around more frequently than “please,” “thank you,” or even “hello.” Somehow I don’t cease to be amazed when even a white kid walks down the hall, passes one of the “cool” kids, and immediately tries to connect by exclaiming, “What up, my nigga!” I cringe at the sound of this foolishness. The African American students are not offended by this; after all, they are the first ones to run around using it as a show of affection.

This mental slavery that so many of our young people subject themselves to is an absolute disgrace to all the civil rights leaders who fought to eliminate injustice and the open degradation of people of color. The shackles are not physical, but yet their subliminal control is more powerful than a wrought iron ball and chain.

Supposedly, the N-word has changed in meaning. Many claim it is still used with both negative and so-called “positive” intention. The spelling change that is often claimed as significant is simply an ignorant cop-out. Have you even been in an urban environment? Urban vernacular commonly drops “er” endings without words losing their meaning: “motha” “fatha” “sista” “brotha.”

The word “nigger” was used by the “massa” to label slaves with an artificial ignorance that would justify why they traded them like cattle, and physically abused them in a way that would have PETA in an uproar if the same were done to a dog. It defines a lazy person with no self respect, no regard for family, ignorant, stupid, slow moving, who does not speak proper English. Even after so-called “freedom” and emancipation, the KKK used the term to identify those who would be hanged, castrated, or even burned alive.

Sadly, while most Americans can trace their lineage back for centuries and to their countries of origin, it is difficult for many African Americans to trace their lineage past a few generations. Family histories were lost due to the slave trade’s purposeful separation of parents from their children and siblings from each other. As a result, African Americans developed a more inclusive term, one that connects those who shared an unimaginable struggle, and was often heard in the uplifting discourse of civil rights leaders, “brother.”

So, why use what the oppressor developed rather than that of the people who sacrificed in unthinkable ways allowing us to have the opportunities and enjoy the freedoms we have today?

And if you think that history doesn’t apply to you because you’re Puerto Rican or Dominican, you are mistaken. Learn your history, because the slave trade on our precious islands began even before it did on the U.S. mainland, and its effects are still apparent today.

The change would be small, but its effects on camaraderie would be immense. Conveniently, brother and sister also happen to end in an “er” that is often replaced by an “a” in urban vernacular. So, all your favorite raps would still rhyme while you boost your morale by referring to each other with words that foster unity rather than ignorance. The invisible shackles must be broken and replaced by visible embraces. Instead of tripping each other we could actually hold each other up.

The N-word alone is not the problem. Inflated poverty rates, disproportionally low graduation rates, and unemployment rates are bigger problems.

But the frequent use and acceptance of the N-word by our own people is a daily reminder that, although we have overcome many things, many of us have lost sight of how far we have to go.

Saying this word and allowing others to say it is a sign that we have given up, or mistakenly believe the fight for equality is over.