Gateway Chief Uncovers Student Superpowers

With a book in hand, Gateway Community College CEO William T. Brown showed Mauro-Sheridan Interdistrict Magnet School second graders the superpower of kindness — and the benefits of good deeds and college educations.

Brown, who leads the downtown-based two-year community college, joined Mauro-Sheridan students and teachers at the 191 Fountain St. school on Wednesday for a celebration of World Kindness Day, which takes place every year on Nov. 13.

For the Wednesday celebration, school support staffer Sean Hardy and Dean of Students Cedric Robinson arranged for Brown to visit to kick off the school’s theme this month, which is: ​“Kindness Matters.” 

The visit was just the latest iteration of a speaker series that Hardy has been organizing for the past 25 years for young New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) students to meet local role models and state leaders. 

This school year, Hardy has brought the president of Southern Connecticut State University, the city’s fire and police chiefs, the mayor, and several state senators to read to and meet Mauro-Sheridan students. (Click here to read a recent Independent story about a visit by retired former state Superior Court Judge Angela Robinson.) 

“It’s all about the kids and bridging the gap between community and schools,” Hardy said on Wednesday.

On his way to Ms. Tong’s second grade class Wednesday, Brown greeted students and staff in the hallway. 

Once arriving to the class, students greeted Brown and Hardy with a hearty: ​“Good morning.”

Hardy reminded the students of Brown’s role at Gateway, to which students gasped at the mention of being in the presence of a president who leads the ​“big beautiful school downtown,” as Hardy described it. 

Before starting to read, Brown asked the students who their favorite superheros are. 

When called on, students named superhero favorites like Spiderman, Super Woman, Black Panther, Wonder Woman, and Iron Man. 

“I’m here to tell you that kindness is a superpower,” Brown said while reading the book Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller to the class of roughly 20 second graders.

During brief pauses amid the reading, Brown and the students talked about whether the students have younger siblings that they help and are kind to. 

Throughout the book, acts of kindness like saying ​“thank you,” sticking up for someone, and giving back were described to the class. 

“What is one thing that you do or can do to be kind to someone else?” Brown asked the students once he finished reading. 

Each student shared a personal example like helping siblings make art and picking them up when they get hurt, getting a tissue for someone when they sneeze, helping their grandma bend over to pick up the phone, sharing, and helping others clean up. 

Many of the students told stories of them helping to teach their younger siblings new things.

“Teaching someone something is one the greatest acts of kindness,” Brown said. ​“When you get a chance, thank your teacher for her kindness everyday.” 

Brown encouraged the class to be kind every day to others and themselves. ​“For some people you never know when you’re saving their day with kindness,” he said. ​“Kindness can actually change the world.” 

After the read aloud, Hardy took Brown on a school tour to visit several classrooms and briefly speak with students and staff. 

While in the hallway heading to a fourth grade class, Brown and Hardy ran into seventh grader Makayla who said she’s looking forward to going to Hopkins School. 

“In a few years I want you to come teach for us,” Brown told her. 

In Mrs. Anzellotti’s fourth grade class, Brown asked the students to raise their hands if they plan to attend college. In response, the majority of the students in the class raised their hands. 

He told the class that it’s never too early to think about college and shared that his parents began talking to him about college when he was in the first grade. 

While passing though classrooms Brown promised the students that he would come back to Mauro-Sheridan to talk about college and career readiness. 

One fourth grader told Brown that he plans to attend Yale University. Another asked him if a master’s degree is required for all careers, to which Brown responded ​“No,” but followed up with saying. ​“The more education you get, the more opportunities you can get.” 

In a seventh grade class, students told Brown they plan to attend college for animation, mechanical engineering, and to become a medical practitioner and a nurse. 

Brown told the students interested in mechanical engineering and nursing that Gateway may be the place for them with the institution’s engineering and nursing programs. ​“We can get you there,” he said. 

He encouraged the students to chase their dreams and to ​“get from your teachers now all that they can give.” 

He finally reminded the students that his goal as a leader is to ​“get students from wherever you are to wherever you want to go.” 

“We can’t sleep on these young people. They have so much promise. Any investments that we make in them is well worth it,” he added.

In addition to students, Brown met many Mauro-Sheridan teachers on Wednesday. Some of those educators told the Gateway CEO that their own educational journeys also began at Gateway. 

First year social studies teacher Randy Francis told Brown and his seventh grade class that Gateway was his first stop in his journey to receiving his master’s degree. 

As a part of the school’s kindness celebration, Robinson distributed more than a dozen turkeys to between 50 and 75 students and families. Robinson has kept the tradition alive for nearly 20 years by paying out of pocket for the turkeys. 

Middle school special education teacher Jonathan Juliano has also been working to get his students in the kindness spirit by working with the school’s student council to organize monthly kindness projects to improve the school. Students have come up with projects like hallway beautification for the near future. 

See below for other recent Independent articles about teaching, reading, and working inside New Haven Public Schools classrooms.

• New Tutoring Site Focuses On Phonics
• Race Finds A Place In The Classroom
• ​“Little Engineers” Build Boats For Pirate Pete
• Seeking Stability, Cross Principal Hits The Halls
• Hispanic Heritage Takes Center Stage At Career High Fest
• Teacher Tim Takes To TikTok
• Amid Shortage, Teachers Cite Disrespect