Business Leaders Running for Scholarship Money

 

Published in The Courant iTowns (Oct. 8, 2010)
Submitted by Cierra Stancil
Hartford Public Schools

 

A group of city business leaders are scheduled to run in the ING Half Marathon this weekend to raise college scholarship money for students in three Hartford high schools that are affiliated with the National Academy Foundation.

The race gets underway on Saturday, Oct. 9, at 8 a.m. in front of the State Capitol building on Capitol Ave.

Hartford Public Schools hosts three NAF academies, The Academy of Engineering and Green Technology at Hartford Public High School, Pathways to Technology and High School Inc.

NAF serves more than 50,000 students in approximately 500 academies in 41 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin islands. NAF academies function as a collaboration between school administrators and industry professionals to create learning environments, where the education of students directly connects to the business world.

Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Steven J. Adamowski says NAF academies are structured in a way that promotes student success.

”They have small class sizes, industry-based curricula and compensated capstone internships, which have a specific focus and are based on college readiness,” he said.

Among those planning to participate in the race is Dayl Walker, a representative of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association and an advisory board member for the Academy of Engineering and Green Technology.

”We have some terrific students at the Academy who are doing the right things - coming to school every day and working hard in their classes - they want to go to college,” she said. “For many families, college isn’t possible financially; they need help.”

Also planning to run in the marathon are Michael Klein, Ed Mirek and Bernie Sheridan from The Travelers. Mr. Klein, the senior vice president of business insurance and president of Travelers’ Middle Market, co-chairs the advisory board at High School Inc. Mr. Mirek, an information architect, and Mr. Sheridan, a project manager, are advisory board members for Pathways to Technology. Mr. Mirek is a co-chair.

Those who are looking to contribute to the NAF scholarship fund or to raise scholarship donations by participating in the race should contact Dayl Walker at (860) 244-1900.