Natchaug School
| Natchaug Elementary School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
|
123 Jackson Street Willimantic, Connecticut, (Windham County) 06226 United States | |
| Coordinates | 41°42′49″N 72°12′24″W / 41.713685°N 72.20667°WCoordinates: 41°42′49″N 72°12′24″W / 41.713685°N 72.20667°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public school |
| Established | March, 1865[1] |
| School district | Windham School District |
| Grades | K-5 |
| Enrollment | 344 (2013) [2] |
| Color(s) | Blue and Green |
| Website | Natchaug School Homepage |
Natchaug Elementary School is an elementary school located in Willimantic, Connecticut, United States. It has accreditation from 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]
Student Composition
The school serves students from kindergarten through fifth grade, after which they move on to Windham Middle School. The majority of students are Hispanic (72%), while 18% of students are white and smaller numbers are black or multiracial. By contrast, the majority of the staff are white (88%), with only a small number of Hispanic educators.[2] Relative to state averages, many of the school's students come from poor families; nearly 90% qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2013-14, compared to 37% of public school students in the state overall.[2][6]
Overall, one in three students is classified as an English Language Learner, versus 6% of students statewide.[2][6] Natchaug has had bilingual education programs in place since the 1980s,[7][8] in accordance with state legislation.[9] Natchaug also currently has a Family Resource Center and before- and after-school programs for its students.[3]
History
Natchaug School first opened in 1865, and included a high school until 1897.[1] The school was initially a large wooden building, completed in 1864 and replacing the Old Stone Schoolhouse of earlier decades. 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.[10] The old school building was torn down in 1914 to make way for the current brick structure.[1]
Principals
- Robert Kallajian (2016–present)[3]
- Melissa Mishriky Cyr (2015-2016)[11]
- Jeff Wihbey (2010-2012)[12]
- Joseph Janisaitis (2008-2010)[11]
- Rose Bisson (2004-2008)[11]
- Penny Hebert (interim)[11]
- Maureen Bojka (2003-2004, interim)[11]
- Kathleen Rosewall (2002-2003)[11]
- Collette Trailor (c. 1999-2002)[13]
- Susan Webb (1990s)[14]
In earlier decades, principals included:[1]
- James L. Harroun (1892-c.1927)[15]
- 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
- Wilbur Cross, literary critic and 71st governor of Connecticut[1]
- William Sprague, Congregationalist clergyman[16]
- Isaiah Oggins, American-born spy for the Soviet Union[17]
- Sung Mun Wai (宋文翙), participant in the Chinese Educational Mission and Vice Admiral in the Chinese Navy[10][18]
- George Ernest Waldo, U.S. Representative from New York (1905–09)
References
- 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.
- 1 2 3 4 CT School Profile 2013-14
- 1 2 3 Natchaug School Homepage
- ↑ List of place names in New England of aboriginal origin
- ↑ Kefalas, Francesca (2014). "Natchaug School prepares to reopen Tuesday". The Norwich Bulletin. Norwich, CT. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- 1 2 CT OpenData. Indicators of Educational Need by District: 2013-2014.
- ↑ Russell, James. W. "Connecticut Opinion: Expand Bilingual Education." New York Times March 22, 1987.
- ↑ Windham Public Schools
- ↑ Bilingual Education Statute, Connecticut General Statutes No. Section 10-17e-j of 1972, revised 1999. Retrieved on July 14, 2016.
- 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.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 http://www.courant.com/ Hartford Courant
- ↑ Norwich Bulletin
- ↑ Van Alden, Ferguson. "Natchaug School makes state's low-achievers list." Hartford Courant 7 October 1999.
- ↑ Tarr, Sherman (1995-10-16). "Teachers Help Pupils To Understand Disabled". Hartford Courant. Hartford, CT. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ↑ Obituary. New York Times 14 Mar 1929: 21.
- ↑ Spalding, J. (1891). Illustrated Popular Biography of Connecticut. Lockwood & Brainard. p. 365. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Early Chinese MIT