Natchaug Elementary School is a public

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

in Willimantic,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, United States. The school opened in 1865 and is located at the junction of Milk Street and Jackson Street in downtown Willimantic. It is one of four elementary schools in the Windham Public School system, and is accredited by the

New England Association of Schools and Colleges The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC) is a United States' regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation. NEASC serves over 1500 public, independent schools, and technical/career institution ...

.Natchaug School Homepage
/ref> The name "Natchaug" comes from the Native American

Nipmuc The Nipmuc or Nipmuck people are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who historically spoke an Eastern Algonquian language. Their historic territory Nippenet, "the freshwater pond place," is in central Massachusetts and nearby part ...

word meaning "land between the rivers." The school colors are bright green and blue.

Student composition

Natchaug is a public school open to students from

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

through

fifth grade Fifth grade (called Grade 5 in some regions) is a year of education in many nations, and some other regions call it Year 5. In the United States, the fifth grade is the fifth and last year of elementary school in most schools. In other schools, it ...

, after which they move on to Windham Middle School. In the 2021-22 school year there were 278 enrolled students in grades K-5. With 26 classroom teachers, the school has a student-teacher ratio of about 11:1. Natchaug also has a Family Resource Center and before- and after-school programs for its students. As of the 2021-22 school year, the majority ethnic group is

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

students, who make up about three fourths of the student body. About 17% of students were non-Hispanic white, and smaller numbers Asian, Black, American Indian, multiracial or of other backgrounds. Of the educators at the school, about 81% were white and 16% Hispanic. About three fourths of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, so, overall, the students' families are poorer than the average for all Connecticut public schools (43% qualify for the lunch program).

Bilingual education

Natchaug has had

bilingual education In bilingual education, students are taught in two (or more) languages. It is distinct from learning a second language as a subject because both languages are used for instruction in different content areas like math, science, and history. The t ...

programs for Spanish-speakers in place since the 1980s, in accordance with state legislation. Currently about half of Natchaug students are classified as English Language Learners, in comparison to 9% of all public school students statewide.Enrollment Dashboard English Learner
/ref> In Windham School District overall, 31% of students are English Learners. The school district started dual-language programs in 2018-19, with the aim of promoting bilingualism among primarily Spanish-speaking children and primarily English-speaking children.

COVID-19 puppetry program

In response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

's impact on children's emotional well being, Natchaug's teachers have begun using a puppet-based model for helping students learn to recognize and manage feelings. The program is based on

cognitive behavioral therapy Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psycho-social intervention that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression and anxiety disorders. CBT focuses on challenging and changing cognitive distortions (suc ...

principles, and Natchaug staff have worked with the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

's school of puppetry to develop lessons in short puppeteered films. Students also get kits to make their own puppets.

History

Natchaug School was originally for students from elementary through

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

. The school was initially a large wooden building, completed in 1864 to replace the old stone schoolhouse that had served the students on the east side of Willimantic since 1831. In the late 1870s, pupils included several visiting students from China, who had been sent by the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

as the educational mission of its

Self-Strengthening Movement The Self-Strengthening Movement, also known as the Westernization or Western Affairs Movement (–1895), was a period of radical institutional reforms initiated in China during the late Qing dynasty following the military disasters of the Opium ...

. The visiting students were Chang Yau Kung, Won Bing Chung, and Sung Mun Wai. Natchaug High School was part of the school until 1897. In 1914, the original wooden school was torn down to make way for the current brick structure. The school was closed for 18 months (June 2012 to January 2014) due to roof damage. During that time, students attended elementary school classes at Windham Middle School.

Principals

*Eben Jones (2017-present) *Robert Kallajian (2016–2017) *Melissa Mishriky Cyr (2015-2016)http://www.courant.com/ Hartford Courant *Jeff Wihbey (2010-2012) *Joseph Janisaitis (2008-2010) *Rose Bisson (2004-2008) *Penny Hebert (interim) *Maureen Bojka (2003-2004, interim) *Kathleen Rosewall (2002-2003) *Collette Trailor (c. 1999-2002) *Susan Webb (1990s) In earlier decades, principals included: *Robert Perry (1950s) *James L. Harroun (1892-c.1927)Obituary. New York Times 14 Mar 1929: 21. *George Cadwell (1888-1892) *William Burdick (1884-1888) *Col. John B. Welch (1872-1884) *Thomas H. Fuller (1868-1872) *David P. Corbin (1866-1868) *S. W. Powell (1865-1866)

Notable alumni

* Wilbur Cross, literary critic and 71st governor of Connecticut * William Sprague, Congregationalist clergyman *

Isaiah Oggins Isaiah Oggins (also known as Ysai or Cy) (July 22, 1898 – 1947) was an American-born communist and spy for the Soviet secret police. After working in Europe and the Far East, Oggins was arrested, served eight years in the GULAG detention system ...

, American-born spy for the Soviet Union *Sung Mun Wai (宋文翙), participant in the 1870s

Chinese Educational Mission The Chinese Educational Mission (1872–1881) was the pioneering but frustrated attempt by reform-minded officials of the Qing dynasty to educate a group of 120 Chinese students in the United States. In 1871, Yung Wing, himself the first Chine ...

and Vice Admiral in the

Chinese Navy The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN; ), also known as the People's Navy, Chinese Navy, or PLA Navy, is the maritime service branch of the People's Liberation Army. The PLAN traces its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chinese ...

* George Ernest Waldo, U.S. Representative from New York (1905–09)

References

{{Willimantic, Connecticut Willimantic, Connecticut Windham, Connecticut Schools in Windham County, Connecticut Public elementary schools in Connecticut Elementary schools in Connecticut

Elementary Elementary may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001 * ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007 * ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977 Other uses in arts, entertainment, an ...

Educational institutions established in 1865 1865 establishments in Connecticut