Michael Fenn ’19 (CLAS), ’21 MA, a native of East Lyme, Connecticut, grew up around many family members who served as teachers, including his father, grandmother, mother, and two of his sisters. After completing his undergraduate degree in general science at UConn in 2019, Forsyth went on to earn his master’s degree in curriculum and instruction through the 11-month Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates (TCPCG) at the Neag School of Education. He is now a middle school science teacher for Manchester (Connecticut) Public Schools.
Stamford Public Schools (SPS) announced Corine Matarasso as assistant principal of Toquam Magnet Elementary School. Matarasso fills the position recently vacated by the departure of former Assistant Principal Casey Cummings. Matarasso is a long-time Stamford resident and member of the SPS staff.
Justin Michaud, math, was born and raised in Waterbury and attended Catholic schools for grammar and high school. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business management and psychology and master’s degree in education at the University of Connecticut. He’s described as “passionate, outgoing and dependable,” and enjoys tennis. He has experience at in the food industry, most recently at Sacred Heart High School in Waterbury for the past seven years.
Alumna Shay Cantner Is CEO of a startup called Engagement Solutions, a cloud-based, mobile-friendly and multilingual platform that captures and stores personal information required for most enhanced-service applications.
Connecticut is the first state in the nation to mandate that all of its high schools offer an elective class on Black and Latinx history. These classes must be taught by the fall of 2022, but many high schools have added them to the curriculum this year. Alan Marcus, a professor of curriculum and instruction in UConn’s Neag School of Education, has led a team that developed a website to assist high school teachers with the instruction of this course.
U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona will be visiting Wayne Center Elementary next week as part of tour recognizing teachers and school staff for their efforts in classrooms for the 2021-22 school year. In 2012, Cardona won the 2012 National Distinguished Principal Award for the State of Connecticut and the Outstanding Administrator Award from UConn’s Neag School of Education.
Throughout the academic year, the Neag School is proud to share the latest achievements of its faculty, staff, students, and alumni.
Josephine “Josie” Jarrett of Benwood is the first recipient of the Judith Bartell Paesani Vocal Music Scholarship at West Liberty University. Judith Bartell Paesani, one of the scholarship’s donors, earned her bachelor’s degree from WLU’s College of Education and went on to earn a master’s from the University of Connecticut.
Meet the members of the Neag School’s current Alumni Board and Dean’s Board of Advocates, who all volunteer to work toward engaging and connecting with alumni and friends of the School throughout the year.
This latest installment of 10 Questions features Neag School alumni Curtis R. Darragh IV ’15 MA and Kurt Daigle ’19 (CLAS), ’21 MA, who recently won the Connecticut School Counselor Association’s top awards for 2021 for their dedication to school counseling.
