Natchaug School

Last updated
Natchaug Elementary School
Natchaug School.jpg
Front entrance of the school
Location
Natchaug School
123 Jackson Street

Willimantic
,
(Windham County)
,
Connecticut
06226

United States
Coordinates 41°42′49″N72°12′24″W / 41.713685°N 72.20667°W / 41.713685; -72.20667
Information
Type Public school
Motto"Always a New Discovery"
EstablishedMarch, 1865 [1]
School districtWindham School District
Grades K-5
Enrollment278 (2021) [2]
Color(s)Blue and Green   
Website Natchaug School Homepage

Natchaug Elementary School is a public elementary school in Willimantic, Connecticut, United States. The school opened in 1865 and is located at the junction of Milk Street and Jackson Street in downtown Willimantic. It is one of four elementary schools in the Windham Public School system (along with a K-8 STEM magnet school). Natchaug is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. [3] The name "Natchaug" comes from the Native American Nipmuc word meaning "land between the rivers." [4] The school colors are bright green and blue. [5]

Contents

Students and staff

Natchaug is a public school open to students from kindergarten through fifth grade, after which they move on to Windham Middle School. In the 2021-22 school year there were 278 enrolled students in grades K-5. [2] With 26 classroom teachers, the school has a student-teacher ratio of about 11:1. [2] Natchaug also has a Family Resource Center and before- and after-school programs for its students. [3]

As of the 2021-22 school year, Hispanic/Latinx children made up about three fourths of the student body. About one sixth of the students were non-Hispanic white, and smaller numbers of students were Asian, Black, American Indian, multiracial or of other backgrounds. [2] Of the educators at the school, about 81% were white and 16% Hispanic. [6] About three fourths of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, [2] so, overall, the students' families are poorer than the average for all Connecticut public schools (43% qualify for the lunch program). [7]

Bilingual education

Natchaug has had bilingual education programs for Spanish-speakers in place since the 1980s, [8] [9] in accordance with state legislation. [10] Currently about half of Natchaug students are classified as English Language Learners, in comparison to 9% of all public school students statewide. [2] [11]

In Windham School District overall, 31% of students are English Learners. [11] The school district started dual-language programs in 2018-19, with the aim of promoting bilingualism among primarily Spanish-speaking children and primarily English-speaking children. [12]

COVID-19 puppetry program

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on children's emotional well being, Natchaug's teachers have begun using a puppet-based model for helping students learn to recognize and manage feelings. [13] The program is based on cognitive behavioral therapy principles, and Natchaug staff have worked with the University of Connecticut's school of puppetry to develop lessons in short puppeteered films. Students also get kits to make their own puppets. [13]

History

Old Natchaug School, c. 1910 Old Natchaug School.png
Old Natchaug School, c. 1910

Natchaug School was originally for students from elementary through high school. The school was initially a large wooden building, completed in 1864 to replace the old stone schoolhouse that had served the students on the east side of Willimantic since 1831. [14] The school was described admiringly in an 1889 history of Windham:

It was built in 1864, – and it has a seating capacity of about six hundred, with an average attendance of about five hundred. The building is in excellent repair and is in an ample yard, ornamented with shade trees. The furniture of the school buildings is nearly all modern and of an excellent model. ... The school libraries contain 1,000 or more volumes. Globes, maps and books are there in commendable numbers for the use of the primary and grammar grades. [15]

In the late 1870s, pupils included several visiting students from China, who had been sent by the Qing dynasty as the educational mission of its Self-Strengthening Movement. [16] The visiting students were Chang Yau Kung, Won Bing Chung, and Sung Mun Wai. [17] Natchaug High School was a part of the school until 1897, when a new, separate building was constructed for secondary school. [1] [18]

In 1914, the original wooden school was torn down to make way for the current brick structure. [1]

The school was closed for 18 months (June 2012 to January 2014) due to roof damage. During that time, students attended elementary school classes at Windham Middle School. [19]

Principals

  • Jeannine Enamait (interim 2023) [20]
  • Eben Jones (2017–2023) [21]
  • Robert Kallajian (2016–2017) [3]
  • Melissa Mishriky Cyr (2015–2016) [22]
  • Jeff Wihbey (2010–2012) [23]
  • Joseph Janisaitis (2008–2010) [22]
  • Rose Bisson (2004–2008) [22]
  • Penny Hebert (interim) [22]
  • Maureen Bojka (2003–2004, interim) [22]
  • Kathleen Rosewall (2002–2003) [22]
  • Collette Trailor (c. 1999–2002) [24]
  • Susan Webb (1990s) [25]

In earlier decades, principals included: [1]

  • Robert Perry (1950s)
  • James L. Harroun (1892-c.1927) [26]
  • George Cadwell (1888-1892)
  • William Burdick (1884-1888)
  • Col. John B. Welch (1872-1884)
  • Thomas H. Fuller (1868-1872)
  • David P. Corbin (1866-1868)
  • S. W. Powell (1865-1866)

Notable alumni

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Lincoln, Allen B. (1920). A Modern History of Windham County, Connecticut. Chicago: S. J. Clarke. p.  157 . Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "CCD Public school data 2021-2022". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  3. 1 2 3 Natchaug School Homepage
  4. ↑ Kinnicutt, Lincoln N. (1905). Indian Names of Places in Worcester County Massachusetts with Interpretations of Some of Them (PDF). Worcester, MA. p. 30. Retrieved October 22, 2020.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ↑ Kefalas, Francesca (2014). "Natchaug School prepares to reopen Tuesday". The Norwich Bulletin. Norwich, CT. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  6. ↑ "Natchaug School". edsight.ct.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  7. ↑ "Student Enrollment by Meal Eligibility Year: 2020-2021". Connecticut Data Collaborative. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  8. ↑ Russell, James. W. "Connecticut Opinion: Expand Bilingual Education." New York Times March 22, 1987.
  9. ↑ Windham Public Schools
  10. ↑ "Bilingual Education Statute". Connecticut General Statutes No. Section 10-17e-j of 1999 . Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  11. 1 2 Enrollment Dashboard English Learner
  12. ↑ "Dual Language". Windham Public Schools. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  13. 1 2 "In one first-grade classroom, puppets teach children to 'shake out the yuck'". National Public Radio . 11 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  14. ↑ Baldwin, Lloyd E. (2022) [1888]. Jamie H. Eves (ed.). A BUILDER'S TALE: Lloyd E. Baldwin's Willimantic Before 1850: Sketches of Early Residences and Occupants: A Document. Windham Textile and History Museum. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  15. ↑ Bayles, Richard M. (1889). "History of Schools in Willimantic, Connecticut". History of Windham County, Connecticut. New York: W. W. Preston. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  16. 1 2 Rhoads, Edward J. M. (2011). Stepping Forth into the World: The Chinese Educational Mission to the United States, 1872-81. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN   9789888028863 . Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Chinese Educational Mission Connections" . Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  18. ↑ "History of Willimantic, The Thread City". Connecticut Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  19. ↑ Kefalas, Francesca (Jan 16, 2014). "Natchaug School prepares to reopen Tuesday". Norwich Bulletin. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  20. ↑ Warren, Michelle (June 17, 2023). "Natchaug Elementary School has new principal". The Willimantic Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  21. ↑ http://www.windhamct.net/resources/minutes_7-20-2017.pdf Windham Town Notes
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 http://www.courant.com/ Hartford Courant
  23. ↑ Norwich Bulletin
  24. ↑ Van Alden, Ferguson. "Natchaug School makes state's low-achievers list." Hartford Courant 7 October 1999.
  25. ↑ Tarr, Sherman (1995-10-16). "Teachers Help Pupils To Understand Disabled". Hartford Courant. Hartford, CT. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  26. ↑ Obituary. New York Times 14 Mar 1929: 21.
  27. ↑ Spalding, J. (1891). Illustrated Popular Biography of Connecticut. Lockwood & Brainard. pp.  365 . Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  28. ↑ Meier, Andrew (August 11, 2008). The Lost Spy: An American in Stalin's Secret Service . W. W. Norton. pp.  17–89. ISBN   978-0-393-06097-3.
  29. ↑ "Early Chinese MIT". Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
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