Noyce Scholars Prepare Stamford Students for the Next Stage
Virtual summer programs also help incoming sixth- and ninth-grade students know what to expect
Sacred Heart University’s Noyce Scholars—all of whom are seniors at the Isabelle Farrington College of Education (FCE)—worked virtually with Stamford public school’s incoming sixth- and ninth-graders over the summer to help them prepare for the next stage of their education.
For the younger group, the program was part of Back 2 Basics/Innovation Week, while the incoming high school freshmen participated in the fourth annual Early College Studies Summer Scholars Program (ECS-SSP).
Beyond Limits Academic Program, initiated by the Stamford Peace Youth Foundation, Inc., partnered with the FCE on the high school program and ran the Back 2 Basics program independently.
Sean Serafino, adjunct professor, was the lead teacher for both summer programs and Bonnie Maur, the co-project investigator for the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program, partnered with Beyond Limits for the fifth year. She has arranged for Sacred Heart’s Noyce Scholars to participate in various Beyond Limits programs over the years. “We have been thrilled to partner with Beyond Limits for the past several years while providing our Noyce Scholars opportunities to make a difference in the lives of Stamford students,” said Maur, who also is the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) program director for the FCE. “I am proud of the work our SHU students do in all of these opportunities we provide for them.”
Around 30 incoming Stamford High School freshmen participated in the ECS-SSP program, the mission of which is to help students cultivate skills for high school, college and the workforce and empower them to pursue a career in computer science. In partnership with Norwalk Community College, the Stamford students have the opportunity to earn their high school diploma and an associate’s degree in computer science simultaneously, within four, five or six years. This summer, the students participated in a virtual tour and panel discussion at Bloomberg L.P.’s London office and worked with Cedric Bleimling, manager of the SHU IDEA Lab.
The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, funded by the National Science Foundation, was created in response to the need for K-12 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers. The program’s intent is to increase interest among higher-education students to become elementary or secondary science or math teachers and to qualify highly as candidates. For each year of the scholarship bequest, recipients must complete two years of service as a STEM teacher in a high-need, educational facility, with a total service requirement of six years. Because this is a nationwide program, graduates can teach across the United States following certification in their state of choice. Visit the Noyce Scholarship Program webpage for more information.
Photo caption: From left are Noyce Scholars Lindsay McSweeney, Jordan Rzasa, Ashley Halkowicz, Michael Watt, Alexis Utz, Professor Bonnie Maur and Isabela Scaglione.