Ellington High wins $229,000 state grant to expand Knight Academy with 12 new programs

Brandon Hubrens, speaking for Ellington High School, told the Board of Education that a $229,000 grant from the State Department of Education will fund 12 new programs within the Knight Academy aimed at expanding career, leadership and enrichment opportunities for high school students.

"We have created 12 new programs that we've included within the Knight Academy structure," Hubrens said, outlining partnerships that include a Career Academy Series with the Connecticut Science Center, scholarships for a New Orleans cultural trip, an HBCU college‑tour workshop series, and a leadership partnership with the YMCA. He said some programs have already enrolled students and that the district will stagger rollouts so families and teachers can focus on each offering.

The grant will underwrite experiential learning trips, transportation, teacher stipends for designing workshops, and certificates intended to boost students’ employability. Hubrens said the district will provide ServeSafe certification as part of the program, noting that a presenter pointed out that "95% of our high school students' first job is gonna be in the service industry," which the programming aims to address.

Hubrens described specific programs the grant will support: monthly cooking classes, a Career Academy rotation covering biomedical, computer and environmental sciences, a 'Suit Up' entrepreneurship track where students build school‑store merchandise and learn business skills, and a Leadership Academy that culminates in an Ignite conference hosting students from eight districts.

The district is also pursuing an additional $100,000 grant next year to continue and scale the programs. Hubrens said the district intends to pay for initial training and equipment so many programs can continue after grant funds expire.

Board members asked about timelines and selection. Hubrens said the Leadership Academy already enrolled 41 students and that other programs will be advertised and staggered across the year; teachers will make referrals through the MTSS process and families will be contacted by a program liaison. "Some of them have already started," Hubrens said of the offerings.

The presentation credited teachers and a grant writer for assembling the winning application. Leticia Daeger, identified by Hubrens as the district’s math intervention specialist and grant liaison, was singled out for writing and coordinating the proposals.

Next steps: the board acknowledged the award and asked staff to continue reporting details on enrollment, costs and program evaluation methods as the grant-funded year proceeds.