Schools

Valley Stream students make college connections

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Science students in Valley Stream’s Central High School District will now have a chance to make university-level connections thanks to a new partnership between the district and Hofstra University.

Dr. Thomas Troisi, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said that starting this fall, science students would have an opportunity to be mentored by Hofstra science professors and upper-level students. District students will travel to Hofstra several times in the first semester to establish relationships with current and soon-to-be professionals in their future fields.

The inspiration for the program, Troisi said, came from the district’s existing science research program and its focus on life after high school. “We’ve had a science research program for a number of years,” he said, “and we’ve realized that the most successful students in that program are the ones who establish relationships outside our district, at higher levels.”

Troisi added that the district and the Board of Education realized that establishing those upper-level connections can be daunting for many high school freshmen. “It can be a very difficult thing to make those connections on your own,” he said. “Some kids are good at it. They can be very outgoing and can make these connections. But most struggle with it, so we want to help them to be more comfortable making those connections, and hopefully that will make them more successful.”

Ninth-grade students will “get a taste of interaction with outside agencies and those in the field,” Troisi said, by meeting and developing contacts with science students and professors on the Hofstra campus. Students will have mentors who will help them as they get involved in science research, and help them make contacts with other students and professionals.

Somewhere between 45 and 60 students will participate in the program, according to Troisi, which will allow them not only to meet and network with those at Hofstra, but also to work alongside their new contacts. “The students and those at Hofstra will work on small research projects that our students will complete before the end of the semesters,” he said.

The district created the program to show students the importance of life after high school. “We really wanted to underscore to our science students how truly important we think college is,” Troisi said.

“Having a ninth-grader visit a college for any reason, but particularly to meet and work with college students and professors frequently, helping them to make contacts at higher levels is huge,” he added, saying he also hopes that “this partnership will lead to further collaboration between Hofstra University and our students here in Valley Stream.”