After being boardrded up for nearly 30 years, Willimantic's Capitol Theater will soon come alive with the fresh-faced talents of eastern Connecticut youth.

     The Capitol Theater in downtown Willimantic will house a new performing arts magnet school, which will enroll high school students starting in the fall of 2003. The announcement was made during EASTCONN's annual Board of Directors meeting in May. EASTCONN officials, who will oversee the school's operation, also announced the school's new name: Arts at the Capitol Theater, or ACT.

     ACT, which will offer a half-day curriculum, will serve between 125-175 students from high schools in EASTCONN's 36-town eastern Connecticut region. The school will serve high school students with an interest in or talent for the performing arts. ACT students will spend the other half of their day at their respective town high schools. Officials have also chosen a seasoned educator, John Mayer, as ACT's new director.

     "We are very excited to add John Mayer to the team," said EASTCONN Executive Director David Calchera.

     During EASTCONN's annual May meeting, architectural plans and sketches for renovating the Capitol Theater were on display.

     EASTCONN has been approved for a $15 million construction grant from the state Department of Education that will provide 100% reimbursement for the renovation project, officials said.

     "We have been working for months with architects from Kaestle Boos, theater consultants, construction experts from C.R. Klewin, and with representatives from the community, schools, universities and arts groups on the conversion of the Capital Theater in Willimantic into an arts magnet high school for the region," said Calchera.

     Out of this Advisory Group collaboration, ACT's curricula and programs have begun to take shape, although class choices have not yet been finalized.

     "The interplay between the program we desired, the history of the structure as a performing arts venue and the nature of the space available led us to focus on the performing arts," Calchera said, explaining why EASTCONN had decided to establish ACT in Willimantic.

     Because of the racial and ethnic diversity of the Willimantic-area community, the theater was ideally positioned for consideration as a magnet school site, said Calchera.

     "Magnet schools are created to further state goals of racial, ethnic and economic diversity," Calchera said. "They are characterized by diverse population, specific theme, and commitment to high achievement."

     ACT's new director Mayer, who has been an educator for 22 years, toured the U.S., Canada, and Germany with a show called "Stories in the Air," a combination of puppetry and mime. Mayer is also a graduate of the Puppetry Arts Program at the University of Connecticut and a former board member of the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at UConn. He was previously a reading consultant with the Amity Regional School District in Orange, CT, and has overseen two other theater arts programs. Currently employed at EASTCONN, Mayer has been recognized for both his artistry as well as his teaching. He was awarded the National Institute of Puppetry Award while at UConn, and was selected by the Connecticut Reading Association to receive the Outstanding Reading Specialist Award in 2000.

     "I've always used mime and puppetry to dramatize scenes from books to get students more interested about reading," Mayer said, "and it's an absolute joy to see the results when they respond."

     For more information about ACT, please contact John Mayer at jmayer@eastconn.org, or call him at EASTCONN at 860-455-0707.

Note: Workshops fill up quickly. Please reserve seats early. E-mail the EASTCONN Conference Office at conferenceoffice@eastconn.org for more information about any of the meetings and workshops listed here. Workshop information is also available on our Web site at www.eastconn.org.

     It's been ten years since EASTCONN engaged in a strategic planning process and the Board of Directors decided it was time to revisit some of the elements of the plan. As a result, revisions to the mission, shared vision, beliefs and strategic initiatives have been made and were approved by the Board at their March meeting.

     The process began with feedback and suggestions from employees representing all major areas of the agency. The Management Council, consisting of the directors of all EASTCONN departments, was part of the discussion as well. A focus group of Board members, superintendents, principals, curriculum directors, special education directors and EASTCONN staff was convened on March 20th for a final look. With their assistance we were able to fine-tune and update our strategic direction. I am particularly pleased with the clarity of our mission statement: The mission of EASTCONN is to work with schools and communities in partnership to develop, provide and support cost-effective education and training opportunities for learners.

     When Mike Graner was named Superintendent of Putnam's schools three years ago, he saw an opportunity both to plan ahead and to bring his community together by creating a strategic plan.

     Today, Putnam's new strategic plan for education is a dynamic testament not only to Graner's vision, but also to that of the greater Putnam community.
Strategic planning empowers schools and communities by helping them to define and direct their philosophical expectations and financial resources to forge tangible, attainable education goals for the future.

     "While there are probably more than 100 things we'd like to accomplish, the strategic plan was a way to step back and figure out what was most important," said Graner. "We have key goals identified and we can dedicate our resources to doing the key things well.

     With limited resources in districts, it's really important to focus your efforts."

     The process began last year after Graner obtained a go-ahead from the Putnam school board. With the help of EASTCONN facilitator Debbie Siegel, Graner began work on the strategic planning process. Graner and Siegel made sure that all key stakeholders were represented on both the Putnam Steering Committee, which planned the process, as well as the Strategic Planning Team, which carried it out.

     "To be most effective, strategic planning should involve every constituency that will be affected," said Siegel, who has facilitated strategic planning for EASTCONN for more than 10 years. "In school systems, that includes teachers from every school, board members, administrators, community partners, and students."

     This spring, Siegel facilitated a three-day planning retreat at the New England Laborers Academy in Pomfret, which generously provided facilities and food to the Putnam planning team at no cost.

     The strategic planning group was also able to build upon the results of a recent League of Women Voters Community Conversation in Putnam, which focused in part on education.
Graner said he was extremely pleased with Putnam's strategic plan outcome.

     "I had very high expectations for this process and very high expectations of Debbie," Graner said. "It worked out even better than I hoped. We now have a strategic plan that is very reflective of our community and will soon have a detailed implementation plan."

     Graner said that while hearing from all points of view was important, he thought the participating students were an inspiration.

     The students were so impressive, he said. They took bona fide leadership roles in many areas of the retreat. At the end, when we were concluding, I said, Unless you actually knew the people, you wouldn't know who was a student, a teacher, a parent or an administrator.

     Region 19 is another district that has benefited from strategic planning, according to Superintendent Bruce Silva, who said that strategic planning has proven to be a worthwhile investment.

     "When we started, it was a way to help the total school community define where the district should be headed," Silva said. "We were successful in reaching consensus among key players about school directions. It was also an opportunity to get input from people who normally would not be involved."

     Region 19, which includes Mansfield, Willington and Ashford, updates its plan annually.

     "Strategic planning is a way to get people focused," Silva said. "We continue to do it because it does produce results. The investment does pay off with more people involved, more commitment, and more willingness to take action."

     EASTCONN also provides planning assistance to non-profit agencies. Joel Rosenberg, Executive Director of Andover, Hebron & Marlborough Youth Services, Inc., worked with EASTCONN's Siegel several years ago on a regional strategic plan designed to assess how well the agency was meeting the needs of a rapidly changing community.

     "We wanted to really take a critical look at whether or not we were in touch with the community and their needs," said Rosenberg. "We were maxing-out our capacity but had lingering concerns about the future."

     Over time, he said their strategic plan has provided unanticipated benefits like increased revenue, a new endowment fund, funding for a vastly expanded facility, as well as a new appreciation for and commitment to the use of outcome measures.

     Data-based decision-making is a key component of strategic planning and, according to Rosenberg, "We now use outcome measures all the time . . . for planning, for evaluating and for reporting to funders."

     The strategic plan has allowed Youth Services to be "ahead of the curve on accountability," said Rosenberg.

     While strategic planning has clear benefits, there are many ways that districts, schools, programs, or even individual teachers can use data to make strategic decisions about how to maximize the use of resources.

     For more information about strategic planning contact Debbie Siegel at 860-455-0707 or dsiegel@eastconn.org.

EDITOR'S NOTE: In the last edition of Connections, [Volume 22, Number 3, "EASTCONN Helps Schools Customize Strategies," page 1] a front page story talked about the many different data-based strategies for evaluating teacher impact on student learning. In future newsletters, Connections will provide EASTCONN's districts with ideas that will help them meet different accountability challenges head-on.

     Although the General Educational Development (GED) exam has been revised and toughened, test-takers who have participated in EASTCONN's GED preparation classes continue to meet with success. Of the EASTCONN GED students who register for the test, more than 92% pass, the highest success rate in Connecticut for a program EASTCONN's size.

     The GED exam was updated in January for only the third time in its 60-year history to better reflect what high school students are expected to know upon graduation. The exam was first given in 1942 to veterans returning from World War II; many had been drafted before they could complete high school. The test is now given worldwide, although Americans account for more than 97% of the diplomas awarded last year.

     EASTCONN gives students the opportunity to complete both the classes and the exam in either English or Spanish. To be eligible to take the GED exam, students have to be at least 17 years of age and document that they have been out of school for at least six months.

     According to Mary Shinoski, EASTCONN's Director of Adult and Community Services, "People can come to classes anywhere from 25 hours a week to two hours a week, and they can come in the daytime or at night." Students can pre-register for the classes at any time, and classes are offered at no cost to residents of the 16 towns in the regional consortium.

     In addition to the GED classes, the two EASTCONN community learning centers in Willimantic and Danielson offer a variety of other courses such as citizenship, English-as-a-Second Language, Workplace Literacy, and many community education courses. For information about any Adult and Community Service contact Mary Shinoski at 860-455-0707 or at mshinoski@eastconn.org.

     Workforce One has approved funding for EASTCONN's New Directions, a year-round school-to-work transition program for high school students, EASTCONN officials have announced.

     Workforce One is Connecticut's northeast regional workforce development board.

     Now in its second year, New Directions has been fine-tuned to better meet the needs of the students it serves. New Directions is open to students in grades 9-12 who meet federal eligibility requirements. Last year, 60 students from towns in northeastern Connecticut participated.
This summer, each New Directions student will be placed in a job. Some will work on a project team, while others will be selected to work individually at sites like Windham Community Memorial Hospital, the Puerto Rican Organization Program, Killingly's Public Library, the Plainfield Schools, and Curbstone Press, among others. Students must undergo an application, evaluation, and interview process with employers before being considered for an individual worksite.

     On-the-job experience is supplemented by other support, based on the assessed needs of individual students. Workplace experiences are designed to help students strengthen basic skills and develop career decision-making and leadership skills. Some team-skill development takes place at EASTCONN's Low Ropes Course, located in the Goodwin State Forest in Hampton.
Students participate in New Directions throughout the school year, with close supervision by local school-to-career guidance staff. All students develop work portfolios documenting their progress toward long-term career goals.

    Ericka Wiggins, a student from Windham High School, has been in the program since 2001. She has had a variety of work experiences while pursuing her goal of a health-related career. She is currently working at Windham Community Memorial Hospital under the Clinical Nurse Supervisor in the Education Department, where she has daily contact with hospital procedures and a variety of other departments. This summer, she will assist with administrative duties, as well as job-shadowing in the Surgery Department and Pain Clinic.

     Ericka said her first year in the program increased her knowledge and experience with computers as well as her ability to "interact with a lot of different people throughout the day at the hospital." Patty Bozeman, a Windham Clinical Nurse Supervisor, said she is thrilled with Ericka's work ethic and maturity, adding that she feels "fortunate to have such a reliable and efficient person working with me."r>
     Among other New Directions summer projects planned for this year are building walkways for the Bafflin Sanctuary in Pomfret in collaboration with the Builder's Association and the Audubon Society. Another project in partnership with the Department of Environmental Protection and Goodwin State Forest will result in historical, environmental and economic background research to be used in the creation of a map of the Airline Trail, a multi-town walking trail across eastern Connecticut.

     Other summer programs being offered through EASTCONN include Camp Exploration and Paesano Goes to China. Both camps have multiple, two-week sessions available. Two summer school programs are being offered, one for special education students and the other for high school students seeking credit courses.

     For more information about New Directions, contact Cyndi Wells at 860-455-0707 or cwells@eastconn.org.

     For more information about summer camps or special education summer school, contact Paul Rennick at 455-0707 or prennick@eastconn.org.

     For more information about credit summer school, contact Mary Shinoski at 860-455-0707 or mshinoski@eastconn.org.