Pre-K program educates across borders

By Brian Alexander and Jennifer Waters

BengalNews Reporters

His name isn’t Eddie, it’s Edward.

That’s what the 4-year-old told Belle Center Early Childhood director Laurie Beck after learning how to spell his first name in the center’s Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program.

Edward started at the Belle Center when he was a baby. He has transitioned from the toddler room and early intervention program, through the 3-year-old room and into Universal Pre-K.

In June, Edward will graduate and move onto kindergarten in the Buffalo Public Schools, having gained the skills Beck said are necessary to be a successful life-long learner.

The Universal Pre-K program is in its second year. A Peter Towers Grant of about $3,000 was recently awarded to the program to provide technology in the classrooms.

“There are no computers or anything in here currently. This will allow for technological development and an upgrade for the early childhood development center,” said Marketing and Communications Director Callie Johnson.

Beck said the Peter Towers grants are a competitive grant awarded to different organizations focused on aiding children with learning disabilities. 

  

The Belle Center’s Early Childhood Director Laurie Beck talks about what the center has in store for its Universal Pre-Kindergarten program as it begins its second year:

She said the computers are necessary for teachers to assess their students’ development, input the results and send them off for research.

With the new possibilities provided by technology, Universal Pre-K will help 3-year-old students like J.J., Johnnie and Evan continue with the center’s program next fall.

Universal Pre-K has also started implementing a new program for learning outcomes called “Second Step,” a social behavior program in which the teacher plans lessons specific to a different emotion each week.

The lessons are meant to teach the children how to deal with their feelings and express them in a healthy manner when dealing with other children and adults, an important lesson for when they move on to kindergarten, Beck said.

“Kindergarten will have different rules they will have to follow. The goal is to give them all the skills they will need to succeed at an early age,” she said.

The UPK program day starts promptly at 8 a.m., or earlier for students whose parents need work accommodations, and runs until 4 p.m. Packed with activities to engage their minds and bodies, students participate in circle time for stories and activities such as letter recognition, exercise time, two meals a day and swimming every Friday.

Keeping the whole routine on track are 15 full-time daycare workers, along with AmeriCorps volunteers who teach early literacy to the three year-old group, work in the offices or volunteer in the community.

“Two year-olds, they just wake up running,” said AmeriCorps Volunteer Naomi Porter as the toddler group clambered into wagons for a morning walk.

Porter admits the job can be hectic at times, whether with paperwork or preparing meals for classes, but said the experience is rewarding.

Each classroom in the center is prepared with a bilingual teacher like Tasha Vega who has been with the 3-year-old group for three years now.

“My daughter also attends classes here. I think I’ve moved forward a lot working with the program,” Vega said.

The center provides educational programs for ages six weeks to senior citizens. This allows parents to be involved with the program as well.

Beck said one of the most amazing things to see is a Pre-K student and their parent learning English as a second language together.

“We have many parents who will drop their child off at daycare and head upstairs for their class,” Beck said.

Among the many first languages of those who attend the center are Burmese, Spanish and dialects native to Africa.

Noting the various cultures found at the center, porter said, “(The program) helps me develop my ability to work with such diverse groups. It will help me go anywhere in the world.” Edited by Jason Murphy

Director of veteran affairs helps students

By Tom Gallahger and Mike Straw

BengalNews Reporters

             Members of the Student-Veteran Association (SVA) at D’Youville College have a special nickname for the college’s director of veteran affairs, Ben Randle.

            “He’s the grandmaster,” SVA president Jimmy Borzillieri said. “He’s behind the curtains with everything. We don’t do anything without going through him first.”

            Sure enough, Borzillieri and Gary Lee, fellow student-veteran and club member, were quick to credit Randle for the college’s inclusion on the 2013 MilitaryFriendly Schools list through Victory Media last month.

             “At other colleges you have to push a little harder to get what you need,” Lee said. “But here, you ask Ben once and he takes care of it for you. He’s like a dad.”

            The Military Friendly Schools list honors the top 15 percent of U.S. colleges, universities and trade schools that put forth an effort to educate America’s veterans by offering programs, discounts and scholarships to them.

            D’Youville offers plenty of the aforementioned benefits, which certainly aids in the recruitment and retention of student-veterans.

             “It’s a very, very veteran-friendly environment,” Randle said.

            According to Sister Denise A. Roche, the college’s president, D’Youville’s student-veteran population has increased from 35 students in 2009 to 380 this semester – a tenfold growth in population. Part of that growth can be attributed to Randle and his desire to make the college experience for student-veterans whole.

            “[Randle] treats the student-veterans with great respect and offers whatever assistance each one needs,” Roche said. “He loves them as his own. He is exactly the right person for the job.”

 

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Marine Jeff Schneider works on his coursework in D’Youville’s student-veteran lounge.

            The college also has a 94.6 percent retention and graduation rate among student-veterans. Additionally, nearly 40 percent of those students are on the Dean’s List. While Randle can’t be credited entirely for the in-class success of the student-veterans, Lee said that he certainly helps.

            “You tell [Randle], ‘Hey, I’m having a little trouble in this one class,’ and he’ll get somebody to help you with it,” Lee said. “He’ll help you with anything, school-wise or not school-wise. He’ll find an answer.”

            Randle is a former marine and a Vietnam War-veteran, which played an integral role in Lee’s decision to join the school’s pharmacy program.

            “A lot of school’s veteran offices aren’t even run by veterans,” Lee said. “This office is important because it is [run by veterans].”

            “Pharmacy programs are hard to get into. I was on the waiting list, but Ben was going to the guy every day to get me in.”

            For Borzillieri, D’Youville was never really on his radar as far as prospective colleges were concerned. However, once he met Randle and learned of his welcoming nature, his preferences shifted and he ended up enrolling at the school.

            “I had every intention of going elsewhere for my core classes,” Borzillieri said. “D’Youville happened to be right down the street, so I came in here and found the VA office.”

            “I was reeled in 100 percent of the way. I didn’t consider D’Youville before meeting Ben.”

            Above all, Borzillieri noted that the college made the Military Friendly Schools list because Randle is a military-friendly man that cares about his student-veterans.

            “I never had to reintroduce myself to the guy,” Borzillieri said. “When you meet somebody that sees a million faces a day like Ben – they’re not going to remember you.”

            “Here, you don’t have to say your name twice to him.”

            The Military Friendly Schools list is in its fourth year and was compiled through extensive research and a survey of more than 12,000 U.S. colleges.                            Edited by Sara O'Brien

Cornell students continue to help out W.S.

This summer begins the fourth year of the High Road Project, a program through which Cornell students get involved in non-profit organizations in order to make improvements on the West Side and throughout Buffalo.

This eight week long program begins in mid-June and works in cooperation with the Partnership for the Public Good (http://www.ppgbuffalo.org/) and the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations (http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/), said Lou Jean Fleron, director of the High Road Program.

“We’re looking at really mutually beneficial relationships between the students and the organizations and the greater community as a whole,” said Megan Connelly, program coordinator for the High Road Program and director of program and development for the PPG.

            “The High Road Program is really a living laboratory of community and economic development in the city,” Connelly said.

Students undergo an application process before being assigned a highly defined project to work on throughout the summer, Fleron said.

            “I think we’ve been fairly West-centric in the past couple of years, in part because the majority of our partners are working on the West Side,” Connelly said.

Lou Jean Fleron, director of the High Road Program, and Megan Connelly, director of programs & development at the Partnership for Public Good, discuss the upcoming project that begins in June:

            PUSH Buffalo, Urban Roots and Buffalo First are just three of the many organizations that receive student interns through the High Road Program.

            “I think it’s an excellent way for students to apply the theoretical to practical experiences,” said Sarah Bishop, executive director of Buffalo First.

            Carolyn Krupski, from Clifton Park, is one of the 20 students that will be taking part in the High Road Program this summer. 

“I am really looking forward to a summer in Buffalo! I have never been to Buffalo before, and I hear from other High Road Fellows that there are really unique, fun things to do in Buffalo in the summer time,” Krupski said.

Krupski said that she is really interested in “the effects of post-industrialization on rust-belt and industrial cities and their current economic development.”

            “This summer I am hoping to gain first hand knowledge of the people of Buffalo's initiatives to address the economic challenges that the city faces,” Krupski said.

            Students in the program work at their specific organizations Monday through Thursday and then on Friday they come together to share their week’s experiences and participate in programs and workshops in specific areas, Connelly said. 

            In addition, the students are expected to journal, or blog, on Thursday nights in order to reflect on their experiences, Connelly said.

            Interest in the program has increased substantially over the past four years, going from five participants in 2009 up to 20 who will be participating this summer, said Fleron.

            The program has received positive feedback from students who were involved in the past.

            “It was an honor working with PUSH; they are really doing a wonderful job empowering folks on the West Side,” said John Parker, a Cornell student who was involved in the program last summer, in his program evaluation.

            "The most rewarding part for me was probably just being able to work in the community,” said Daniel Cooper, a Cornell student who worked with Buffalo First through the program last summer.

            In the past, the students accomplished a great deal by the end of the summer.

            “I ended up creating a marketing plan for Buffalo First, like how to improve the organization, and then I also created a technology guide to help local business owners gain a large consumer base," Cooper said.

            “We’re very happy to have [the students] here and look forward to it summer after summer,” Fleron said. Edited by Richard Cumpston

Upcoming charter school boasts big plans

By Cortney Drakefore and Alana Ransom

BengalNews Reporters

 The building located on 113 Lafayette Ave.  will be renovated soon to become the new West Buffalo Charter School in August 2012.   

            Renovations on the former hospital turned apartment building have yet to begin. There are still tenants in the building. However, construction workers have been accessing the building to make sure all permits are in place and promises to have the building complete before the kids arrive at the new school on August 13.


 School leader Andrea Todoro introduces the West Buffalo Charter School:

The school program will focus on developing an exceptional foundation of reading, academic and personal skills that will give students the means to succeed and reach their full potential.

 With high expectations for all students and a rigorous curriculum benchmarked to the NYS Learning Standards, West Buffalo Charter School is committed to sustaining a safe, caring, learning community that respects diversity and encourages strong home, school and community partnerships according to the school’s brochure. 

Todoro has been reaching out to families in the community since December. The school has been to numerous events, anything involving kids, said Todoro. They have promoted at the Boys and Girls Club, Head Start Program, and different community centers in the local neighborhoods. Brochures, postcards, and applications have been mailed out at community events in the area. They recently had a lottery of 54 seats and extra students were put on the schools waiting list.

The curriculum will be based on the basic English language. Other programs offered will be art, music, dance, technology, physical education, and computers. The school has partnerships with the Massachusetts Avenue Project, D’Youville College, Buffalo Speech and Hearing Center and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Massachusetts Avenue Project will educate students on nutrition and will be adding a green space most likely by the back fenced-in play area.

“The goal is to have students harvest vegetable and herbs and use that in the lunch program so that it will be student grown, student harvested and then used in their lunch program,”  said Jesse Meeder, farm manager of MAP's  Growing Green program. 

The school evolved from a literacy intervention curriculum designed by Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center called, "Language to Literacy,” said President and CEO Joseph Cozzo of the Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center.

The school is integrating this “Language to Literacy” program and D’Youville  will be contributing student teachers. The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra assists with music education in which musicians will come over and work with the students.

            The school has plans to be a small-school learning environment. With a small class size of 18 students and a high teacher to student ratio, the school hopes to provide more nurturing, individualized and differentiated student instruction. There will be longer, family friendly school days and an extended school year of 200 days. They will focus on language acquisition, building literacy and reading proficiency.

            Most of the community is excited about the changes, while others may feel a little upset because of having to move out of their living space, Todoro said.

            “Feedback about the new school was positive mostly but the negative only came from people who had to move,” said Todoro. “People are excited the building is going to be put to good use.”

            The renovations are specific. Todoro hopes to make the school a place that fits the needs of the people using it.

            “We have major input with the renovations,” said Todoro. “The landscapers come up with ideas and bring it to us and we change what we feel will fit best for the students.”

The school will open August 2012 with 162 students in grades K-2 and will grow every year to K-4, reaching a total enrollment in three years of 270 students

            “I think it is a good investment. Good investment for the neighborhood, good investment for the children and it’s really a win-win situation for everybody,” said Todoro. Edited by Shayna McKie

           

Program teaches refugee kids about school

By Katie Anderson and Danielle Wayne
BengalNews Reporters
 As refugee children in excitement blurt out responses, instructors remind them to raise their hands first.
 With school supplies scattered across the table, refugee children attempt to grab the items called out by the instructor.

  Megan Schear, center, teaches two refugee students.

 For almost two months now, refugee school age children, from pre-kindergarten to high school students, have found a place to go while awaiting placement in the Buffalo Public School System. Buffalo Beginnings is a program funded by Buffalo State College and Journey's End Refugee Services, Inc. that welcomes refugees from countries all over the world, such as Iraq, Burma, Nepal and India.
 While newly relocated refugee children wait to be placed in a school, they can attend the program to learn about the American school system as well as American society.
 “The goal of the program is to both help with academics and English learning as well as socialize the students to be able to function well in an American classroom,” said Karalynn Brown, a program coordinator.
 From 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, Buffalo Beginnings is located at the Buffalo State Community Academic Center, 214 Grant St. As of right now, the program usually consists of about five children, but is welcome to growth. Instructors in the program educate these refugee youth about things such as holding a pencil, raising their hands and writing their names.
 Brown said that some refugees who just arrive to the country, because of medical of other reasons, have about a two-month waiting period before they’re allowed to enter the school system.
 “If they’re waiting to be placed in a school, they don’t really have much to do,” said Brown. “So if we can get them into a classroom setting, get them used to the American school system and use that time when they’re waiting, I think it’s beneficial for them.”
 <iframe src="http://archive.org/embed/BuffaloBeginnings_548" width="640" height="480" frameborder="0"></iframe>During this waiting period, Buffalo Beginnings prepares refugee youth with age-appropriate games and activities that incorporate English vocabulary.
“With each week we have different topics to incorporate vocabulary and American social norms,” said Megan Schear, a program coordinator.
 Buffalo Beginnings bases its set of courses on the Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance curriculum. Brown said the core curriculum is a good mix of both American academic and social issues that refugee children learn.
 Buffalo Beginnings, however, is not only for refugee children. Their mothers are also able to attend the program in order to practice their English. For part of the program, the instructors pull aside the mothers or older children to work on conversational English with them said Brown.
 “It’s pretty typical of refugee families that the dad works and the mom stays at home,” said Brown. “So that’s why we offer the parent component as well—for the mother to be with the child and get out of the house and work on her English as well.”
 Buffalo Beginnings has recently had three of its students enter the public school system. Buffalo Beginnings instructors said they do receive positive feedback from both students and teachers in the school systems. Attending the program has helped ease the cultural shock refugee students face when entering the public school system, said Schear.
 The program is looking to expand into the summer, said Maureen McCarthy, staff associate of the Academic Center. Edited by Mackenzie Clarke

School 30 looking up with vertical growing

By Richard Cumptson and Mike Tellier
BengalNews Reporters
 During the harsh months of winter, individuals that  have gardens are forced to pack up shop. But for the students at School 30, they decided to just move things inside.
  students at School 30, located at 21 Lowell St., are using a new growing trend known as vertical growing to grow their produce this year. According to The Vertical Farm,  nearly 80 percent  of the world’s population will live in urban centers by 2050, so many people have began using vertical growing as a way of conserving space.
  This new way of growing produce was welcomed with open arms by the students of School 30.
 "The new classroom garden has meant so much to the students at School 30,” said John Guzda, a classroom assistant at School 30. “Many of them have come up to me in class to talk about their enthusiasm for the project."
  Up until this year, most of the students who took part in the vertical garden had little knowledge of how to sustain a garden, but with the help of their teacher and members of the PUSH organization, the students were able to learn a lot of the ins and outs to gardening.
  “A lot of these kids who have grown up in the city, had little to no experience with planting and gardening,” Yax said. “But it was interesting to see them all learn how to garden the regular way, and also garden vertically, because there are some differences.”
 The seventh and eighth grade students who participated in the project wanted the chance to be able to grow a garden inside during the winter.
 “In the past, students have planted seeds inside the class and then when the winter was over, we would bring the plants outside, and plant them in the ground,” said PUSH community organizer Whitney Yax. “This year we really wanted to try something new and plant the garden inside.”
  PUSH first became acquainted with School 30 when one of the teachers reached out to PUSH, asking for assistance in getting the students better involved within the community.
  “We thought it was a great idea to get the kids involved in gardening since most of them had little experience in the area,” Yax said. “When we first started doing this the kids would just plant the seeds inside and then at the end of winter they could bring them outside and actually plant them, but the vertical garden idea has added a lot of excitement to this process.”
  Vertical farming experts say the style of planting provides more available space, reduces  food miles, iconserve water and energy resources and works sustainable with nature.
 “I think that the students will do this again next year,” Yax said. “But right now we are really trying to get more faculty members involved with this because if for some reason this particular teacher happens to leave, we are going to need someone there to step in and help the kids with this.” 
Edited by Kevin Freiheit

Rose Garden shows youngsters life’s basics

By Samantha Murphy and Desiree Wiley

BengalNews Reporters

 Imagine spending the day outside under the warm sun listening to the birds chirp and bees buzz while you plant a garden. Afterwards, you return inside to finish kneading organic dough for your homemade pizza.

 As you enjoy the smells escaping your kitchen, you unwind by taking part in some arts and crafts. Maybe you’re thinking it would never happen, but for children at The Rose Garden Early Childhood Center, it is a daily routine.

 The Rose Garden sits cozy at 257 Lafayette Ave. and is occupied by 43 children, ranging from ages of 12 months to five years. Director of The Rose Garden, Judith Frizlen, says she was inspired to open the center after discovering the LifeWays model for learning. 

 Judith Frizlen, on the genesis of The Rose Garden:

In celebrating three years of success, Frizlen says providing such needed services is extremely fulfilling.

 The Rose Garden was modeled after the LifeWays childhood center, opened in 1998 by Waldorf kindergarten teacher Cynthia Aldinger in Wisconsin.

 As director of LifeWays North America, Aldinger provides families and teachers with training and support of the model’s principles and practices.

 LifeWays practices focus on engaging childhood development on all levels. Children are able to grow, learn and become comfortable in their skin in a homelike environment.

 The Rose Garden provides children with basic skills needed for daily function. Children experience movement through gardening, building, cleaning, cooking, drawing, playing outside and more.

 “It’s a language rich environment,” said Stephanie Neikirk-Epes, assistant director. “Our goal is to provide opportunities for a whole experience. The children like coming to school and doing things they enjoy.”

 Staff at the center provides close and continuous care with each child. Frizlen believes the homelike environment allows children to embrace their surroundings, making learning enjoyable.

 Lori Kostusiak, a pre-school teacher in the Sweet Pea room, has been with the center since its construction days.

 “I’ve been here since the opening of the Rose Garden, when our playground was still a mud pit and the school was a construction zone,” said Kostusiak.

 Kostusiak prides the center on its natural way of teaching, from playing with nature made toys to eating organic home cooked food and its emphasis on interaction.

 “Children are not built for sitting at desks,” said Kostusiak. “They are built for running, jumping and interacting with each other. That’s how they develop the basis and foundation for a healthy life.”

 With childhood obesity numbers at alarming highs, Frizlen believes teaching children the benefits of organic and wholesome eating is a great way to support a healthier lifestyle.

 “We’re promoting childhood health,” said Frizlen, “If you eat well and move around a lot you won’t be obese. We serve all organic grains and everything is made right here. We don’t serve anything out of a box.”

 While childhood health is of the utmost importance, there are many other reasons why the children of the Rose Garden Center eat organic.

 “It’s good for the environment,” said Frizlen. “By buying a 50 pound bag of organic oats, I’m not wasting packaging and, since we buy locally, we’re also supporting our local economy.”

 The Center not only practices green eating habits, but also promotes energy efficient building standards. The building, built in 1928, was home to several schools before it became vacant in 2004. Frizlen bought the building in 2009 and has made some significant improvements since then.

 “We still have some of the beautiful, old features but with some modern elements,” Frizlen said. “Because the building has a flat roof and we like to use green sensibilities in architecture, we have solar panels on the roof. All the electricity on the first floor is generated by them.”

 In addition to the solar panels, the Rose Garden Center also has a composter. The composter turns the kitchen waste into nutrient rich fertilizer, which they then use to feed their garden where they grow carrots, beets, parsley and tomatoes. They also have a rain basin, which collects rainwater and saves it for later use.

 As for the daycare’s location on the West Side, Frizlen couldn’t be happier.

 “It’s a great location,” she said. “We love it here. We have lovely neighbors and they’ve been so supportive. They’re happy too. It’s never good to have a vacant building in your neighborhood and our building is so full of life.”                                Edited by Kaitlin Riznyk