May
9

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“Take Back the Streets!”

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New Britain’s annual “Take Back the Streets” anti-violence rally attracted a great crowd at Walnut Hill Park last Saturday. The rally had over 1,000 attendees! With the efforts of community agencies and programs, such as Opportunities Industrialization Centers, New Britain Parks and Recreation, Pathways/Senderos and Jobs for America’s Graduates, we all came together to help create and maintain positive relationships between law enforcement and our city’s youth.rally 1

New Britain High School JAG participants wanted to help spread the peace. As a project created in the student-led Career Association, JAG students promoted the cause by selling purple anti-violence ribbons, ti-dyed purple shirts and ran a booth on the day of the event. The students created a banner that stated, “Come up with a resolution, violence is never the solution.” Guests of the event who stopped by JAG’s table pledged to be non-violent by adding their painted purple handprint to the banner. Purple was the theme color because it is the color that nationally represents non-violence.

 

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In the above picture are New Britain Board of Education members Sharon Beloin-Saavedra and Daisy Sanchez making their pledge! Thank you for your support!

Student volunteers included Quandaysha Shumpert, Morgan Mack, Kyara Vargas, Thalia Rodriguez, Savina Hollingsworth, Jimmy Vega-Nelson, Samantha Kilduff, and Myleisha Ortiz.

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May
2

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New Horizons JAG student wins scholarship!

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New Horizons senior and JAG student Juan Santiago received a scholarship from  WeCare Community Center, Inc. Saturday night.

Juan joined my JAG class mid year and has been a  positive influence among peers. He upholds and exhibits JAG’s values on a daily basis and I was very happy to assist him with this scholarship application.

“My future feels bright and I believe I can be what I want to be,” Juan wrote in his essay. “Being an accountant is my long term goal and I believe I can actually follow my dream. I would have never thought I would be here today a few years back, but I thank New Horizons and all the positive people in my life for the opportunities  to become a better person and improve on my life skills. ”

This scholarship was created to inspire youth to work hard both in school and out. WeCare encourages young people to apply what they’ve learned to make  positive impacts on their community.  Requirements for the scholarship included a minimum of 2.50 GPA, a graduating High School Senior attending community college or university and an essay explaining how you have helped your community. Juan was more than qualified.

WeCare, founded in 1997, believes that education can transform the lives of  youth and young adults and prepares them for professional careers.

Juan will be attending Gateway Community College in the fall of 2016 and hopes to become a CPA in his future. Great job, Juan!

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Juan is seen here accepting his scholarship with WeCare secretary, Dawn Smith. He is pictured with his father, Miguel.

 

 

 

May
2

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Interviewing 101

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mock interviews 1

Graduation is near and students have been gearing up for life after high school. On April 28, 2016, students in the JAG Program at New Britain High School participated in one-on-one mock interviews with numerous professionals in the school and in the community. Before the interviews, students chose an appealing position that they would apply to in real life and began doing research on that specific establishment. Students identified their personal strengths and aligned them with the company’s mission to make meaningful connections with the potential employer.

Students said that this experience has really prepared them because they now have a better idea of what to expect in an interview setting. Students found it beneficial that interviewers did not only ask the questions they had anticipated, but they also included follow-up questions that caught them off guard.

There were three to four interview stations set up (depending on the class size during that period). Students were matched with an interviewer and were given 10 minutes to sell themselves for the desired position. After the 10 minutes spent with the “employer” was up, the students were given both positive and negative feedback on things they did well and things they could improve upon for future interviews.mock interviews 6mck interview 2

Samantha Kilduff stated “as a JAG participant, I was honored to have the chance to get constructive criticism on a lifelong skill that can open so many doors for me. Having Ms. Fox as an interviewer was challenging, but the best opportunity because she is so efficient at interviewing. I appreciate that she took the time out to help me become more ready for the interviews I’ll come across in the near future. I now feel ready and confident for my soon to come interviews.

Mock interviewers included: Paulette Fox (Executive Director of O.I.C.), Chez Chamberlain (Career Competencies Classroom Instructor of O.I.C.), Liz-Dupont-Diehl (CT JAG Director), Sondra Sanford (Finance Teacher at NBHS), Jenny Jimenez-Sullivan (Career Center Specialist at NBHS), Christina Lumbreras (Engineer at Arris), Andres Sovero (CCSU TRIO Program), and Keylon Levine (JAG Specialist at Hartford Public H.S.).

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