Program

Skills Gap: A student lacks the practice and mastery of necessary skills.  Each week student’s participation in CONNECT get an additional 12-15 hours of out of school hands on fun that supports their academic growth.  This provides students with two additional days of school each week for growth academically, emotionally, and socially.  This means that students receiving math, English, Spanish, reading, help are getting 1.5 hours of additional academic help in those subjects which equates to two additional classes each week.

A student lacks the motivation to learn the concepts.  CONNECT provides a desire to learn the concepts outside of school with unconventional learning styles and innovative learning strategies.

A student does not know or lacks exposure to correct information.  With an additional 52.85 days of instruction students are given the opportunity to understand the information necessary as they progress through their educational journey.

A student does not have access to conductive learning environment.  CONNECT embraces the learning environment of being kind.  Each day students before going to class gather in the auditorium to see a random act of kindness and discuss it.  Kindness lessons teach, through the examples of others, empathy, compassion, gratitude, stick-to-itiveness, grit, friendship, teamwork, courage, generosity, sportsmanship, reverence, optimism, and character.  These valuable lessons reinforce our message of community and teamwork and are essential in social and emotional learning.  Schools must be a safe area and in CONNECT learning has no barriers.

A student lacks clear communication of concepts or expectations.  CONNECT is a community engagement initiative to support the students at the Highland Falls Intermediate School.  CONNECT is not reliant on its teachers to support the educational program that is CONNECT.  Daily volunteers from the local community support our program.  These volunteers include a partnership with James I. O’Neill High School, four students from Cornwall Central High School, two retired teachers from Highland Falls, one teacher from the West Point Middle School, another teacher from our neighboring community of Garrison, and Finnegan the dog, who encourages students to read aloud to him.  Highland Falls Fort Montgomery Central School District also is supporting the CONNECT program by paying the salaries of four HFIS faculty to participate in our after school program.  West Point Cadets from the United States Military Academy Prep School and United States Military Academy weekly volunteer to spend time at CONNECT, in 2023 participating program included CLD STEM, the Mathematics Department, the Computer Engineering Department, the Student NASA Launch Team, the Sprint Football Team, and the Hockey Club. With the community engagement and the 1:10 teacher ratio, student have a 1 on 1 opportunity to learn.