Author Archives: Woody

Making a difference in urban education

For me, the most enjoyable and rewarding aspect of being involved with the Alma Exley Scholarship Program is getting to know the recipients and following their careers.

This came to mind recently when I read about the results of the Connecticut Mastery Test. This is the test of reading, writing and mathematics given each year to the state’s public school children in grades three through eight.

The results showed that Hartford Public Schools made impressive gains during the 2009-2010 academic year. In a breakdown of the results, I noticed that the most improved elementary school in 2009-2010 was America’s Choice at SAND School.

As you may know, the principal of SAND School is Desi Nesmith, the Alma Exley Scholarship recipient of 2000. As the results were announced, Mr. Nesmith was completing his first year as a principal.

Students at SAND School achieved an overall index score of 50.8 in 2009-2010, an increase of 14.8 points from the previous year. This was the biggest jump for any of the city’s 23 elementary schools. In fact, SAND School made a great leap from its position as the lowest-scoring elementary school in the city in 2008-2009.

SAND School is located on North Main Street in one of the poorest neighborhoods of one of the poorest cities in the nation.

How did the school make such progress? According to Mr. Nesmith, it had to do with taking a fresh look at the school’s curriculum and organization and making big changes.

“We redesigned the school on a new model that focused kids on reading and writing more than ever,” Mr. Nesmith said. The redesign included lengthening the school day and involving students in a daily 2½-hour “literacy block,” he said.

“This hard work could not have occurred without the A-Team that is in place at SAND,” he said. “I have a very dedicated and highly skilled team of teachers and staff who came to SAND to make a change in the academic lives of these students.”

At the age of 31, Mr. Nesmith could be one of the youngest – if not the youngest – school principals in Connecticut. Prior to assuming this leadership position in 2009, he was an intervention resource specialist with the Hartford Schools. In that capacity, he served as a mentor to teachers in struggling elementary schools throughout the city.

Previously, he was selected as a Teacher in Residence at the State Department of Education. In that role, he worked on a number of school-improvement initiatives across the state. He began his career as a fifth-grade teacher at Mayberry Elementary School in East Hartford, where he was named Teacher of the Year in 2005-2006.

He was honored with an Alma Exley Scholarship while a student at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education. A native of Bloomfield, he graduated from Northwest Catholic High School.

In choosing Mr. Nesmith for a scholarship, the selection committee was tremendously impressed with his accomplishments and his commitment to education. At the time, we were convinced that he showed promise to become an outstanding educator. Speaking for the committee, we’re delighted to see that he is fulfilling our expectations.

Mr. Nesmith is just one of many Alma Exley Scholars who are making us proud. Stay tuned for updates on the careers of others in this remarkable fraternity.
– Woody Exley

Posted August 14, 2010

2009 honoree named Top Biology Teacher in Connecticut

Sibani Sengupta, Ph.D., a 2009 recipient of an Alma Exley Memorial Scholarship, has been chosen to receive the 2010 Outstanding Biology Teacher Award (OBTA) for Connecticut.

This prestigious award is presented to only one person in Connecticut each year by the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT).

Dr. Sengupta received her Connecticut teaching certificate through the Alternate Route to Certification, a state program that enables professionals from other fields to teach in public schools.

She holds degrees from the University of Calcutta and a Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut, and she did research as a post-doctorate fellow at the University of Connecticut Health Center.

Dr. Sengupta is chair of the science department at Sacred Heart Academy, Hamden, Conn., where she has taught advanced-placement biology, genetics, and honors and college-prep biology and microbiology. She also runs the Human Gene Discovery Laboratory at the school.

Recipients of the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award will be honored at the NABT National Professional Development Conference in Minneapolis, Minn., on November 5.

Each OBTA recipient will receive science equipment donated by Pearson Prentice Hall Publishing Company, the sponsor of the OBTA program, and a microscope donated by Leica Microsystems, Inc.

The Connecticut Association of Biology Teachers (CTABT) will honor Dr. Sengupta at its Annual OBTA Lecture/Reception in October.

Posted June 14, 2011

2010 Alma Exley Scholar Is Honored

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is khalil-graham-and-other-recipients-2-1024x704.jpg — Khalil Graham, center, is congratulated by previous recipients of Alma Exley memorial scholarships, from left, Chi-Ann Lin, Desi Nesmith, Ollie-Rubiah Williams and Sacha Kelly.

Khalil Graham, a student at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn., has been honored as the 2010 recipient of the Alma Exley Memorial Scholarship.

Fifty people attended a reception in his honor at the Noah Webster Library in West Hartford, Conn., on May 12.

Mr. Graham, who grew up in New York City, is a graduate of the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Conn., where he was a founder of Minority Males Inspired Toward Achievement (M.M.I.T.A.), a group designated to help residents of Windsor and surrounding communities.

He earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Richmond with concentrations in African American Studies, Urban Policy and Practice, and Social Science. He was also elected the graduation speaker for the Class of 2008.

He received a master’s degree in education from Sacred Heart on May 15, 2010 and has been accepted into the doctoral program in educational leadership at the University of Kentucky.

Among the attendees were four previous recipients of Alma Exley memorial scholarships, who congratulated Mr. Graham and welcomed him to the scholarship family.

They are Chi-Ann Lin, a teacher at Staples High School, Westport; Desi Nesmith, principal of America’s Choice School at SAND, Hartford; Ollie-Rubiah Williams, a teacher at Farmington Valley Diagnostic Center, Avon; and Sacha Kelly, a teacher at Big Picture High School, a regional magnet school in Bloomfield.

Guest speaker at the reception was Maureen Price-Boreland, executive director of Community Partners in Action (CPA), a Hartford-based not-for-profit agency that provides a variety of services in the criminal justice field.

Ms. Price-Boreland, who began her career as a public school teacher, earned a law degree while working at CPA and is an adjunct professor at Central Connecticut State University. She spoke about the importance of diversity in fields from criminal justice to education, and underlined the need for more persons of color in the teaching profession.

Academic Achievement and Community Service
Khalil Graham played on the varsity football team at Richmond and received the Spider Scholar award given to students who excel in both academics and athletics. He was an organizer of Nets for Africa, which secured funding for bed nets for African children. He served as a volunteer for the Richmond Area Boys & Girls Club, hosting children to familiarize them with college life. He also tutored students in science, mathematics and English in the Richmond Public Schools.

Returning to New York City during the summer, he worked in Project Breakthrough, teaching seventh grade biology and advising eighth grade students on their high school options.

While pursuing his master’s degree in education at Sacred Heart, he was employed at Amistad Academy, New Haven, during 2008-2009 and at Jettie S. Tisdale School in Bridgeport during 2009-2010.

In accepting the scholarship, Mr. Graham said, in part:

“I want to take a moment to thank all those who made it possible for me to reach this moment. I was once told that it’s important to acknowledge that all who achieve great things “stand on the shoulders of giants.” I can see many of my personal giants in this room. This includes my family representation and all people who have touched me on my educational and personal journey. It wasn’t always easy (I have myself to blame for most of that.), but much of the reason I believe my path is so bright is because of the love and encouragement you have given along the way.

“In this moment I honor all those who could not be here today, including my grandmother, who raised me, Sandra Joyce Graham, for instilling an unwavering faith in the higher power, and molding me with the work ethic to always want to make a lasting impact in society. While she as well as all of those who could not be in attendance tonight are sorely missed, I do plan to let their dreams shine through in all the achievements I strive for.

“I hope to use this platform as a springboard to develop new leadership tactics in classrooms to ensure student growth. Many have asked me why I have decided to pursue this field and embark on this journey. I am reminded of writer James Baldwin, who once said, “For these are all our children. We will either pay for, or profit from, whatever they become…”

“I have been bestowed with the gift of love; love for children, love for education, and love for change. I look forward to uncloaking the unknown potential of America’s youth, one child at a time.

“By standing for diversity and excellence in the field of education, the Alma Exley Scholarship Program has shown itself to be unafraid of failure by stepping outside the box in their search for the best talent in the field of education. The commitment began when Alma Exley decided to make a difference in the lives of all children. As I create my own legacy in the field of education, I will continue to shine a glowing light on her legacy and the legacy of the program.

“The greatest pain in life is to be invisible. What I’ve learned is that if you listen carefully enough, all students just want to be heard. And I thank all the people who give me strength to stand as a voice for America youth. I will continue to let students see themselves and for a moment, glimpse the power to change and the power to triumph.”

Also speaking was Jim Williamson, executive director of the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain, which administers the scholarship program. Mr. Williamson reported that nearly 1,000 individual contributions have been made to the program since its inception in 1995, and that the endowment has surpassed $100,000. In all, nearly $46,000 in scholarships have been awarded since the first recipient was named in 1996.

Posted May 15, 2010