Bridges to College
Ansonia students receive “I Know I Can” book 

(ANSONIA) – Ansonia second-graders were introduced to the notion of college and given an “I Know I Can” activity book during an early college awareness activity at the school recently.

Bridges to College, a non-profit organization that helps students go to the college, sponsored the program.

“We want to introduce the notion of college at a young age,” said Beth Sears, executive director of Bridges to College.  “Studies show that many lower-income children give up on college when they are very young. Because they don’t expect to go to college, they do not pursue a rigorous academic curriculum. This means that they may lack the necessary preparation if they decide to go to college later.”

 Using a grant from the Greenville Rotary Club, Bridges to College purchased “I Know I Can” activity books for each of the second-grade students at Ansonia Elementary School. Volunteer readers, Rhonda Williams, Ginny Nieport, and Ruth Peters, then read the book to the students. Afterwards, many of the students shared what future careers they were considering.

“In addition to introducing the notion of college, this program also promotes the importance of reading and begins conversations about different types of jobs,” Sears said.

Bridges to College is planning a similar program for Greenville City School second-graders in the spring of 2013.

Bridges to College helps students go to college by offering educational programming, one-on-one mentoring for high school juniors and seniors, and need-based scholarships.

“Over the past few years, Bridges has been able to expand its educational programming to elementary and middle school students,” Sears said.

 In the spring, Bridges to College is taking Ansonia and Greenville sixth-graders to Edison Community College in Piqua for an early college awareness program.

“We’ve been fortunate to receive both volunteer and financial support from the community,” Sears said.