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Community Success Stories

The Hartford Scholars Program

The program enables qualified high school students to attend the University of Hartford at half-tuition. CL&P, along with other area businesses and organizations, has supported this initiative since the beginning in 1990. The goal of Hartford scholars is to enable deserving young people to become solid contributors to their local communities and businesses. CL&P has been fortunate to discover just how effectively the Scholars Program really works.

Jorin Grori and his family came to the United Stated from Albania seven years ago. Jorin attended high school in Hartford and then attended the University of Hartford with the help of the Scholars Program, which led to an internship at NU. He received the 2007 Mayor’s Scholar Award, and today is employed as an Assistant Engineer at NU. A story like Jorin’s is gratifying proof that well-directed assistance helps us all.

Kinsella Elementary School

When Principal Pam Alvarado came to the Kinsella Elementary School in Hartford, Connecticut in 2004, it was one of the lowest performing schools in the district, plagued by complaints of unruly children and chaos in the halls and classrooms. Today, parents flock to the Richard J. Kinsella Community Magnet School of the Arts to put their child's name on a waiting list for attendance at the revitalized school.

Alvarado's plan to weave the arts into the school's curriculum has done wonders for the morale of both students and teachers, offering new and fun ways to teach and learn, as well as new ways for students to express and feel good about themselves. This revived interest in learning has ultimately led to improved test scores as well.

The next major initiative at the Kinsella School is focused more directly on meeting the educational needs of those students deemed at highest risk of failing or falling through the cracks. The PEAC Program is about developing the holistic student (PEAC stands for Parental Involvement, Etiquette Enrichment, Academic Enrichment, and Character Development). The Northeast Utilities Foundation provided the Kinsella School with a half-million dollar grant to cover the costs of this comprehensive program, which includes:

  • Four reading tutors from AmeriCorps, who provide these children with weekly one-on-one tutoring sessions;
  • A Literacy Club run by AmeriCorp members and Kinsella faculty, which meets after school three days per week;
  • A Family Outreach Specialist, who is in direct contact with families and coordinates enrichment programs such as Common Sense Parenting and Money Matters;
  • And a Mentoring Program, which pairs these children with CL&P staff members, for 45-60 minute weekly sessions.

The CL&P mentors work with these children to reinforce all aspects of the PEAC initiative, helping them learn through playing games, reading together and building relationships.

"The children who are involved in this program, the ones who could so easily have fallen through the cracks, are now succeeding," said Alvarado. "Over 50 percent of the kids actually surpass their grade level in reading, and are moving forward in school."