Eastern Student Matthew Pappalardo of Mansfield Center Participates in "Puentes al Futuro/Bridges to the Future" Summer Camp

2013 Aug 14

Eastern Connecticut State University recently held a five-week summer enrichment camp for local middle school students. The "Puentes al Futuro/Bridges to the Future" camp is run by Eastern's Center for Community Engagement (CCE) and offers academic instruction in math and language arts and cultural enrichment.

Matthew Pappalardo '14 of Mansfield Center, CT, was one of the camp counselors. Pappalardo's major is Visual Arts.

Eastern student camp counselors worked under the guidance of staff who work for Windham Public Schools during the academic year. The camp was designed to maintain the academic skills of the students, many of them English Language Learners (ELL), throughout the summer months. Each morning, campers focused on math and language arts with the goal of improving foundational skills. The camp also offered cultural enrichment and recreational activities in the afternoon. It helps students build self-confidence, proficiency in the English language and an understanding of Latino culture.

The academic school-year version of "Puentes al Futuro/Bridges to the Future" offers after-school programs for Windham Middle and High School students that provides homework tutoring and art, music and cultural activities. The program focuses on encouraging the students to pursue higher education through mentoring with Eastern students.