Melissa Bailey Photo
As she prepared for her first day of pre‑K, Kendall Crosdale signed a pledge to do her best in school — and walked away with a free backpack.
Kendall (at right in photo), who’s 4, signed the pledge Friday morning with her big sister, Tyler Papallo (at left) at a Back to School Rally at the Hillhouse High School Field House.
The rally was co-hosted by WYBC radio station and the school district in preparation for the start of school on Sept. 1. Together, the group handed out nearly 2,000 backpacks, according to WYBC marketing director Samuel Tilery.
The event was “not about handing out backpacks,” Tilery said, “it’s how to educate parents on how they can have a better and prosperous school year.”
That’s where the pledge comes in. Before snatching a free bag stocked with pencils, a ruler and a “school change” calculator (pictured), all students and parents had to sign a pledge.
“I pledge today to do my best in reading math and all the rest!” the student pledge read. Students vowed to respect their teachers, parents and students, and “expect the best” of themselves.
Young Kendall scribbled her name, then played with a giveaway frisbee as her sister followed suit. The family lives in Milford, where Tyler goes to school. Kendall’s dad, Byron Crosdale, said Kendall will enter pre-kindergarten at King/Robinson magnet school in the fall. He teaches in the Bridgeport schools, but this will be his first experience with the New Haven school system.
As a parent, Crosdale had to sign a pledge to “take an active role in my child’s education” by showing up to report card night, setting expectations for his daughter, and spending time in her school building.
As parents walked into the field house, the three moms from the Citywide Parent Teacher Organization greeted parents. As part of a new experiment to encourage parent involvement, they collected pages of contact info from all the parents they could. The plan is to feed that info to individual school PTOs, so they can bolster their ranks.
“We’re really trying to beef up parental involvement” during the next school year, said Laoise King, the parent liaison for the school reform effort.
While kids jumped on inflatable castles in the field house, parents perused tables for dozens of not-for-profits. Before they could pick up the backpacks, parents also had to prove they had visited four tables there.
One of those tables, run by the city youth department, asked kids to set goals and wishes for 2011.
Craig Freelove, a rising second-grader at the Edgewood School, printed his answers in pencil.
“I wish for a cleaner city,” he wrote.
His mom, Queen Freelove, edited over his shoulder as he wrote. “City is with a C,” she remarked.
The 7‑year-old penciled in his goal in school: “To be a good listener.”
The school system plans to keep the goals and give them back to kids at the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Craig’s mom said she was learning lots of good info at the rally about other topics, like home ownership and energy efficiency.
“I thought it was just for kids,” she said, “but I found out there was something in it for me.”
The event was WYBC’s third annual rally, but the first in which the radio station collaborated with the district. Gateway Community College contributed a $1,000 scholarship. It was awarded to a recent Career High graduate, Marilys Blanco. The nearly 2,000 backpacks were donated by: Barbarino Nissan, the teachers and administrators unions, Gilbane, First Student bus company, and AFB.
“This is about everybody making education important,” said schools Superintendent Reggie Mayo. He said the school district will make a big push this academic year to get parents more involved, including boosting a “disappointing” return rate on the school surveys.
“We’re going to be working very hard,” Mayo said.
WYBC’s Jessica Carl interviews schools Superintendent Reggie Mayo.