Generali grant puts muscle in Kennedy High newspaper

WATERBURY — Until this year, the Eagle Flyer was a one-page newsletter published a few times a year.

With a new academic course in journalism, an enthusiastic adviser — and now, a $1,500 grant from the Generali Foundation, Kennedy High School’s student newspaper has grown to a monthly publication with a staff of 40 and a 12-page tabloid format.

“We’ve grown so much, and the grant money is going to make it so much better,” said Eagle Flyer editor Jaye O’Leary, a senior who revitalized the newspaper four years ago.

Five other schools received similar grants from the foundation created in memory of Margaret Generali, former head of East Farms School, which was renamed after the principal after she died from an aneurysm at age 48.

O’Leary was surprised to learn about the award, which journalism teacher Alana Cybart applied for.

“We’re going to add more pages. Every month we get more articles than we have room for,” O’Leary said after a recent publications board meeting that she attended with about 20 section editors.

Now people want to be involved.

“It’s a bigger production now. People are really excited about doing it,” she said. “People like looking at the paper, and they like reading it.”

• Walsh School received a $1,500 grant for a neighborhood garden to be planted by third-graders with the help of parents and the horticulture department at Naugatuck Valley Community College. The program will reinforce communication skills by requiring students to write and speak about their garden project.

• Wendell Cross third-and fourth-graders will read and write about modern and historical figures in the Leaders and Heroes biography project. The project will culminate with students making presentations for students and parents at a Hall of Fame. The $750 in grant money will allow the school to buy books.

• Regan and Barnard schools will use their funds for a joint program that will bring together children from both schools to hear presentations by authors.

• At Generali School, kindergarten teach Rhonda Nonamaker used her $1,500 grant award to order a digital camera, a laptop computer and a printer. Her class will take pictures and then write about the photos.

She is waiting for the equipment to arrive, so she can take her 18 pupils on a winter tour of wetlands on the school property. The children will also visit the wetlands in the spring, compare photos from both seasons and write stories about the differences, Nonamaker said.

Nonamaker, who knew Generali, said she developed the project idea with the former principal in mind.

“I think she would love it, definitely. She was very into any kind of innovative way to get the kids involved in reading and writing,” Nonamaker said.

“She’s on our minds all the time. We always talk about her, still. She’s one of those people that truly touched our lives and will continue to,” she said.

Teachers from public and private schools throughout Waterbury were eligible for the grants, which drew 13 applications this year, down from 20 last year, said Ed Generali, the late principal’s husband.

“Every year we get a lot of different ideas. Something I liked was the garden at Walsh. I thought that was very unique,” he said.

Ed Generali, who is head of guidance at Holy Cross High School, offered the first grants in February 2000, the one-year anniversary of his wife’s death.

The foundation is funded through private donations and proceeds from a dinner held each May at The Hills.

Contributions also can be sent to the Margaret M. Generali Foundation, P.O. Box 3111, Waterbury 06705.