leadership in high schools

Through a grant administered via Cornell Cooperative Extension in Chautauqua County, the High School English and Social Studies department at the Hewes Center will be receiving 20 novels titled Lincoln at Gettysburg.  This is in celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday and will include his famous address at Gettysburg.  Our High School students will be able to study the writing of Lincoln in the Fall of 2008.  This will be a joint venture that will be exploited instruction-ally to expose students to the wealth and foundations of this Nation, its democracy, sacrifices of her people and sheer brilliance of our founding fathers. 

I remember reading the Gettysburg address when I was in High School and have always marvelled that so many folks take so easily this nation and its democracy for granted.   Having lived under the specter of a fledgling democracy still very much in its infancy, I for one have always marvelled at the richness of this country’s government and political foundations.  The opportunity to expose our students to further teaching and study of this subject, is so personally enriching for me.  None of this would be possible without the enthusiam and support of our English and Social Studies teachers - Jim, Cindy, Phyllis and Greg. 

Thanks to the Model Transition Program in place for High School students at the Hewes Center, 4 students will be visiting Jamestown Community College all day tomorrow 4/9/08 with their consultant teacher Rose Dorey and the Coordinator of the MTP grant, Jennifer Clark. The Model Transition Program is a state department of education funded intiative which has granted the Erie 2 CC Boces together with Lake Shore and Silver Creek Central School Districts over $700,000 for the next 3.5 years.  The grant is administered  in conjuction with VESID with program advisement, support and training from  Cornell University and State University College of New York at Buffalo. 

 The students are one 9th grader, Ben R., two 11th graders Julio Z and Cody A, and one 12th grader Danielle J.  The two 11th graders are both students of Career and Technical Educaton so will graduate with extra college credit in math, science and english as a result of the accreditation agreement between the CTE division of Erie 2 Chautuaqua Cattaraugus BOCES and Jamestown Community College.  As a result these two CTE students will have a leg up on their college counterparts in terms of college credits and will be accruing savings because of this in terms of college tuition and time spent on an Associates Degree which JCC awards.  Of note is the fact that the CTE department of this BOCES has various other articulation agreements with colleges and universities. 

The purpose of this visit to to expose our students to the college entry process and get them to consider college as an educational extension to their high school years.  It is our goal within the Alternative and Special Education High School program to expand the opportunities for skills development and job readiness of our students.  All students who are eligible for help and support through this state wide grant, are classified special needs students who have a 504 Plan or an IEP.