New Teachers Tour Grand

by Maya McFadden The New Haven independent

Maria-Threese Serana, an incoming biology teacher at Co-Op High School, and Alex Contreras-Montesano, a new student-teacher at Family Academy of Multilingual Exploration (FAME), walked along Grand Avenue with more than a dozen of their future colleagues.

They smelled Mexican sweet breads, learned about Spanish-English translation services, and encountered a wealth of other food, culture, art, and community health resources, all as part of a tour designed to encourage new city teachers to tap into the neighborhoods that surround their schools and students. 

That was the scene Friday during the final day of New Haven Public Schools’ (NHPS) annual New Educator Academy orientation.

Eighteen NHPS teachers joined Friday’s walking tour of Fair Haven, which was led by Fair Haven resident and Elm City Montessori Magnet Resource Teacher David Weinreb. 

The group consisted of educators who, on the first day of the new school year this Thursday, will be teaching at such schools as Wilbur Cross, Benjamin Jepson, Fair Haven, and Clinton Avenue.

Weinreb pointed out spots that open early in the morning that educators can grab food at, like La Tapatia Bakery at 309 Grand Ave.

During a stop at Fair Haven Community Health Care, the teachers learned about the clinic’s close ties with schools to help families keep their children healthy and in class. 

“Whether you have a clinic in the school, we are here for you,” FHCHC Chief Advancement Officer Maggie Moffett told Friday’s group. 

While walking down Grand Avenue, the educators took note of the many food offerings and the smell of fresh-baked goods that wafted over the loud and bustling corridor. 

Weinreb pointed to businesses like El Rey Azteca, Salsa’s Authentic Mexican Restaurant, and several barber shops on the strip. 

Clifford Beers Community Care Center staff informed the educators about the center’s partnership with NHPS to provide wraparound services for families and intervention supports. 

Weinreb encouraged the new educators to figure out what parent engagement resources look like at each of their schools. ​“Sometimes the resources exist in your school, sometimes it doesn’t, and if not you may have to connect families to resources,” he said. 

Grand Avenue Special Services District Manager Maria Alejandra Hawke was working with a group of Yale student volunteers in cleaning up Grand Avenue sidewalks and bus stops Friday. She told the educators, ​“Whatever you need, Grand Avenue has it,” from Ecuadorian and Peruvian food to hair cuts and a health clinic.

The group’s next stop was in front of Fair Haven Middle School, which Weinreb described as a Fair Haven nexus because of the school, library, and headquarters for Junta For Progressive Action. 

The educators stopped to learn about the Fair Haven Branch Library’s resources like library cards for all educators and for all students of NHPS, research databases, meeting place opportunities, and English and Spanish learning clubs. 

NHPS grad-turned-Junta staffer Melissa Rodriguez encouraged the educators Friday to reach out to Junta, including for classroom partnerships. Junta offers translation services, support filling out passport applications, a youth empowerment program for student internships, and after-school arts programming, among other services. Rodriguez said Junta is always open to collaboration with educators. 

While headed to the group’s final stop at the Grand Avenue Bridge, Weinreb pointed out FHCHC’s Grand Pharmacy that offers low-cost pharmacy services to all. 

When Fair Haven Alder and Fair Haven School staffer Frankie Redente heard that one educator in Friday’s group was headed to Fair Haven Middle, he encouraged him to be ready for the school’s kids vs. staff basketball game. 

Joining Friday’s tour was Maria-Threese Serana, who will be starting a new role this year as a biology teacher at Cooperative Arts High School. She previously worked for NHPS since 2015 as a long-term substitute teacher and as a paraprofessional.

Serana has five courses left until she completes her educator certification at Sacred Heart. Until then, she has a durational shortage area permit (DSAP) to teach for NHPS. 

Last school year Serana was a long-term science sub at Cross. She said she looks forward to trying out a smaller school and sticking with the high school grades. In the past she was an elementary sub teacher at Roberto, Conte, and East Rock schools. She’s also worked as a special education paraprofessional. 

She said Friday that the Fair Haven tour inspired her to begin brainstorming several science- and community-focused lessons for her classroom this year. From the group’s stop at Save the Sound’s Haven and Exchange Street Park to learning more about Fair Haven Community Health Care, Serana said she hopes to teach her students the importance of being connected to their community to pursue lifelong learning. 

She imagines a possible project for her students this year focused on environmental pollution in Fair Haven and the impacts on bodily health. Her goal is to make ​“what they’re learning in school help them in the outside world so they feel more motivated to pursue their education. It won’t just be about getting the grade, then that’s it.” 

She said over the years of working for NHPS she’s seen a lack of community ties from educators who don’t always live in New Haven. ​“It’s critical for all teachers to see and feel our neighborhoods to best teach the kids,” she said. 

Friday’s tour she made her feel the closest she’s ever been to Fair Haven despite living in New Haven for the past 20 years. She said she hopes the district will further develop community connections to improve schools and learning. 

Connection to resources, partners, and community — as demonstrated by Friday’s tour — made her feel more supported as a teacher rather than overwhelmed about not knowing the right services to connect families with, which is a feeling she’s had in the past. ​“I’ve felt this many times when you don’t know what to do and your kids need help,” she said. 

Also in attendance at Friday’s tour was incoming student-teacher Alex Contreras-Montesano, who will be working in special education at FAME this school year. 

While walking down Grand Avenue, Contreras-Montesano described her love for New Haven. She said that she first visited La Tapatia Bakery back in 2019 during her first visit to Fair Haven. She fell in love with the city in part because of the bakery’s sweet Mexican bread, which reminded her of her family’s roots in Tlaxcala, Mexico. She also praised New Haven’s community-rooted educator advocacy. 

That helped her decide to remain in New Haven after graduating from Yale. She also was inspired by educators while working at Possible Futures bookstore, which she described as a second home to her and an inspiration to pursue education. 

She noted that the Friday tour provided her with vital information for educators about, for example, Fair Haven Health’s medical clinic. She said she hopes her newfound knowledge will help her to ​“forge relationships with parents based on trust, because we’re able to connect them with resources that are trustworthy and in the community they live in.” 

“At its core, this is about justice,” she said.

Contreras-Montesano is working to receive her teaching certification at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU). She hopes next year to teach special education at a bilingual school. This year as a student teacher, she will work with a special education mentor to support the classroom. 

She also said the tour offered her and other educators the chance to build early friendships with those who they will be working alongside. She said she’d like in particular to connect with Fair Haven Library staffers, after learning about the library’s many resources on Friday.

At Save the Sound’s Haven & Exchange park.

Maya McFadden Photos Special Services District manager Maria Alejandra Hawke (center) greets the new teachers.

Junta’s Melissa Rodriguez; “If we are not able to offer the resource, we will connect you with someone in the community that can.”

At the final stop of Friday’s tour, where Dave Weinreb talks oysters and walking trails..

All aboard the school bus, to head back to new-teacher orientation.