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Connecticut Post, September 25, 2005

HCC offers seniors look into college

By LINDA CONNER LAMBECK lclambeck@ctpost.com

BRIDGEPORT — Jane Wampler, a Housatonic Community College math professor, paused during a lesson on fractions to remark on the lack of questions thrown at her. "Don't blame your teacher if you walk out a classroom confused," she admonished. "You can't be embarrassed about your neighbor. & Look around. Do you really care what any of these people think?"

The students, a mixture of seniors from Bassick and Harding high schools, let out nervous chuckles, then the hands went up.

There's more to this class than college-level pre-calculus.

Elsewhere at Housatonic, another group of 20 Harding and Bassick students learned to pick out the meaning of a novel with Amy Carattini, a Housatonic English professor.

For some it was a challenge.

"This book is so hard to understand, especially when it's not interesting," sighed Antonnique Robertson, 17, a Harding senior, about the first chapter of "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn."

"Maybe after today, you'll understand it a little bit better and enjoy it more. It doesn't have to be your favorite book. Hang on and get some of the skills I want to teach you," Carattini replied.

Just three weeks old, the college readiness program is giving urban high school students an academic and cultural taste of college. If successful, they will graduate from high school with three college credits.

Housatonic hopes to expand the program to students at other high schools.

The $156,000-a-year initiative draws funding from several sources — including the state-run Gear Up Program, YMCA, Housatonic and the Bridgeport school system.

The purpose is for students to see themselves as college material, Anita Gliniecki, Housatonic's academic dean, said .

The program involves a daily school bus ride from Harding and Bassick to Housatonic at 8:15 a.m. for 40 participants. Harding English teacher Walter Brackett and Bassick math teacher Anita Bright co-teach the classes with Carattini and Wampler.

Although it may have been easier for Wampler and Carattini to travel to Bassick and Harding to teach the class, Wampler said it is important for students to feel what it's like to be in college.

"We wanted them to get excited. When we took them on a tour, they were even excited about the cafeteria," she said.

For Wampler, the experience is a flashback to when she taught high school. She forgot how much energy the students have.

Wampler, who sits on the committee that developed the program, said her hope is for the students to score high enough on placement exams to avoid having to take developmental math or English courses when they start college.

"That's a stumbling block for a lot of kids. They get stuck in remedial, get bored, end up not passing because they're not paying attention and eat up all their financial aid," she said.

Her class not only offers the lure of three-college credits, but a graphing calculator for each student as well.

Brenda Lopez, 17, a Harding senior, said so far, so good, but she has flipped ahead in her book and is concerned about what's to come. Homework is a culture shock too. "Every day, like 50 problems or more," she said.

Once the class gets into new material, tutors will begin offering students one-on-one help.

Like the others, Lopez took a test last spring, which helped her qualify for the program. She hopes it will advance her goal of getting into the University of New Haven's forensic science program.

Aisha Mohammad, 16, a Bassick senior in Carattini's English class, said the program is intense. "If you miss a day, you miss a lot," she added, calling Carattini nice, but tough.

Midway through the discussion on the chapter they'd read for homework, Carattini stopped to warn students to take notes. What they were reviewing will likely be on a quiz.

Emanuel Franceschi, 17, a Bassick senior, said he was not used to a teacher spending so much time talking in class. In the English classes he's accustomed to, he said, he spends much of his time working on worksheets or essays handed out by the teacher.

"[Carattini] teaches and I understand it better," said Franceschi.

Carattini said she keeps her standards high for the students. "Essentially, I'm trying to treat them the same as I would treat my college classes," she said. "I don't think you do anyone any favors by lowering standards."