caption:

Grant
Target Corporation recently awarded NOW grant funds. Left to right: NOW President Allan Rawson, NOW Executive Director Sarah Wolfburg, NOW Programming Coordinator Kelsey Quinn, Killingly Youth Soccer Representative Kim Newman, NECONN Soccer Representative Erica O’Brien, Killingly Target Management Team - Brandon Kudelchuk, Angie Tracy, Allison Thayer, and Brandan Davis. Courtesy photo.


KILLINGLY — Jan. 22 Northeast Opportunities for Wellness, Inc. (NOW) met with members of the Killingly Target management team and local soccer programs to celebrate grant funds recently awarded to NOW. 
The funds, totaling $1,000, will support NOW scholarships for children participating in local soccer programs in 2018.
In the summer of 2017, NOW applied for funds from the Target Youth Soccer Grants Program, available through the Target Corporation.
As part of the program, Target provides annual grants on behalf of each Target store and distribution center in the U.S. to federally tax-exempt section 501(c)(3) charitable organizations, accredited schools, or public agencies located in the U.S.  A preference is given to programs serving in-need communities. The grants are intended to provide support for player registration fees, player and field equipment, and training and professional development for volunteer coaches.
Throughout the year, NOW partners with local youth serving organizations focused on sports and other healthy activities. NOW has a long history with supporting soccer in the region and currently partners with Canterbury Athletic Association, Killingly Youth Soccer Parents Association, NECONN, and Plainfield Youth Soccer. In 2017, NOW provided over $22,000 in scholarship support to 272 children. This number includes approximately $8,000 in soccer scholarships, assisting 106 children.
NOW Executive Director, Sarah Wolfburg said:  “NOW is very grateful to the Target Corporation for this grant. We believe that a sport like soccer provides more than just athleticism; it also gives children a chance to learn about teamwork, discipline, sportsmanship, and so many other important and foundational qualities. The $1,000 in funds will ensure that children in the region get the opportunity to play and learn.”

Quiet Corner Reads
announces '18 book
Quiet Corner Reads announced that The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict will be its One Book choice for 2018.  Book discussions and related programs will be offered at member libraries from March through June.
QCReads will host Benedict at their finale event at 7 p.m. June 20 at the Mansion at Bald Hill in Woodstock.  Books will be available for sale, and the author will be autographing copies for attendees.  Limited tickets will be sold at member libraries for $15, which includes light refreshments.
The author visit is sponsored by The Beagary Trust, The Leo J. and Rose Pageau Trust, and area Friends of the Libraries. For more information, visit QCReads on Facebook and at the quietcornerreads.org website.
Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than 10 years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College with a focus in history and art history, and a cum laude graduate of the Boston University School of Law. While practicing as a lawyer, Benedict dreamed of a fantastic job unearthing the hidden historical stories of women, and finally found it when she tried her hand at writing. She embarked on a new, narratively connected series of historical novels with The Other Einstein, which tells the tale of Albert Einstein’s first wife, a physicist herself, and the role she might have played in his theories. The next novel in this series, Carnegie’s Maid, was just released in January 2018. Writing as Heather Terrell, Marie also published the historical novels The Chrysalis, The Map Thief, and Brigid of Kildare.
“One Book” community reading projects, which connect people to literature through reading and discussion, have exploded in popularity in recent years. Quiet Corner Reads began their yearly One Book project in 2010, and the collaboration of libraries throughout northeastern CT is still working together to encourage literacy, library support, and community development. Members include libraries in the towns of Ashford, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Chaplin, Eastford, Hampton, Killingly, Mansfield, Plainfield, Pomfret, Putnam, Scotland, Thompson, Union and Woodstock, as well as Pomfret School and Quinebaug Valley Community College.  The One Book project each year encourages residents of northeastern Connecticut to read the same book or author at the same time, bringing people together to discuss ideas and to broaden their appreciation of reading. Past books include In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, Bill Warrington’s Last Chance by James King, The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, Tag Man by Archer Mayor, The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood, What Strange Creatures by Emily Arsenault, The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant, and A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline.

Academy
programs
widen
students'
future
WOODSTOCK — The Woodstock Academy Head of School Christopher Sandford said the addition of the South Campus will mean major growth in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) at the original North Campus.
Sandford said: “Thanks to the support of our corporate partners, especially SPIROL International, and many alumni, we will be officially opening the SPIROL STEAM Center.  In addition to specific labs for robotics and physics, the space will have an advanced makerspace. The creation of this space is in alignment with our mission and responsibility to prepare all students for a lifetime of learning by providing academic rigor, a safe environment, and a diversity of educational experiences.
This new space will allow us to continue and strengthen our great tradition of working with the local community and providing realistic educational opportunities for students. Although the STEAM Center is still under development, the possibilities of this new space has already allowed us to make new partnerships.”
He added the students have already worked with the Chamberlin Mill in Woodstock to create a model of its water turbine, using historic pictures and designs.  This work will assist in the preservation of this historic mill.  Students visited the mill, which dates back to the 1700s, and used the original designs to craft a digital model and, using a 3D printer, were able to create a working model of the turbine. The small model is about a 10th of the size of the original and can be used as an educational tool to demonstrate the historic mill technology in classrooms or at the mill.
Jeff Paul, co-owner of Whitcraft in Eastford, who connected Academy students to the mill restoration project, said “What’s really exciting is that the educational opportunities are accessible now and [the STEAM classes] will provide insights that will be valuable during the ongoing restoration of the mill.” This spring, architecture students at The Academy plan to recreate the entire mill with both digital and 3D printed models that Paul hopes can be used for classroom presentations and “to assist in creating architectural plans that could be used to support further mill development.”  This is an example of the opportunities our students will have in the new STEAM Center. 
In preparation for the STEAM Center, The Academy has joined an MIT Learning Through Making collaborative, Sandford said.  This collection of 15 New England schools meets regularly and shares ways to incorporate learning through making. In addition, staff members are developing specific plans and projects to enhance the educational experiences in their classes. The STEAM Center has inspired innovation across all content areas. As an example, students in the Pastry and Baking classes will design and create their own cake forms, which will bring additional skills and learning into this course.
Sandford said the academy is transitioning the traditional wood shop into an innovative makerspace to expand hands-on learning opportunities. This new space will provide the flexibility to incorporate both small and large construction projects (such as a solar car).  The current Construction Technology program includes four classes: Wood Technology, Advanced Wood Technology, Building Construction, and Exploration in Wood.  Over the last several years, the Woodstock Academy has seen a decrease in the overall enrollment in these courses, and increased enrollment in newer STEAM courses, especially CAD (computer aided design), multimedia, engineering, and robotics. “This new space will have a profound impact on many courses, thereby helping us meet our mission and help better prepare students for life after The Academy,” Sandford added.