Finding New Ways To Encourage Windsor Locks Students To Go To College

Windsor Locks Public Schools officials are supporting an effort to join a program that encourages students early on to think of a future that includes going to college.

The program, College for Every Student, is a nonprofit organization committed to raising the academic aspirations and performance of underserved youth so that they can prepare for, gain access to, and succeed in college, according to its website.

The Windsor Locks Board of Education Thursday formally supported applying for the schools’ participation in the program. The school system will apply for a grant that will fund aspects of the program.

The effort was suggested by teacher Douglas Knowe, an eighth grade language arts teacher. Knowe  said the program is to reach out to students who have been told  most of their lives that they can’t afford to go to

Knowe said a survey asked  74 eighth grade students whether they wanted to go to college, 68 responded they wanted to attend. Of those 68, 38 said they felt they would actually be able to afford to go to college.

The CFES program works with low income youth most of whom would be first in their family to pursue higher education, to help them get to college and succeed there, the website says. The program engages the students with three units, Pathways to College, Mentoring and Leadership through Service.

“College For Every Student helps low income students change the trajectory of their family,”  Rick Dalton, president and CEO of CFES, said in a video shown to the board of education Thursday.

Knowe, who helped run the program when he taught at Dolan Middle School in Stamford, said the program is the best he has seen in his education career.

Knowe said the program would start in the Windsor Locks Middle School and it would begin students thinking about college being a possibility in their lives. The program would have mentors for students, take them on trips to colleges where they can see what the experience is like, and show them how they can get there on their own.

Knowe said the program would also educate parents about the different kinds of financial aid that are available to those who want to go to college.
“I think we really need to find something to motivate students,” Knowe said.

Gregory Blanchfield, principal of Windsor Locks Middle School, said Superintendent of Schools Wayne Sweeney wants students when they graduate to be prepared for college whether they do or not.

“I submit a program like this can have an impact on our students going to four-year colleges and two-year colleges,” Blanchfield said. “We are excited. We are committed.”

Windsor Locks High School Principal Sharon Cournoyer said as part of the program they will start conversations with students for pathways to college, they’ll encourage students to earn college credits while in high school to reduce their future costs.

Cournoyer said officials also want to get more students to take advantage of the Dollars for Scholars program which provides scholarship money those going on to college. The program is funded by local donations.

“The idea behind it is to get students to take control of their lives,” Cournoyer said.

Board of education member Scott Storms said, who is involved with the Dollars for Scholars program, said he is excited about the program and that has been a challenge getting students to apply for the scholarships.

“If you keep telling a kid for 10-12 years you can’t afford to go to college, they start to believe it,” Storms said.

Knowe said he loves the program and was excited to present the proposal to the board of education.

“To open doors, sometimes you have to change the locks,” Knowe told the board.