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Dear Friends,
As our students prepare for fall semester finals the CPE has many things to celebrate! This semester we had our first application process at York C.I. (the only women's prison in CT), student volunteers led a service-based student forum, we worked with CPE alum as they were released from prison, and more. The holidays are an important time for us to reflect on our progress this past year and our ambitious goals for the next. It has been a tremendous year of success inside the classrooms at Cheshire and in our office as we grow new programs. I feel immense gratitude for our supporters and all those who make the CPE a vibrant and dynamic initiative. As we take comfort in this season of celebration, we also pause to consider all the hard work that is still ahead. 
As our program expands to include new staff and a new prison, our fundraising demands are acute. Please consider making an end-of-the-year donation to the CPE today.
As you consider ways to give back this holiday season, consider giving the gift of a Wesleyan education to dozens of imprisoned men and women, knowing that this gift will ripple across the community for years to come. We are a small program, funded exclusively by grants and individual donations. Every single dollar helps. Help us continue our expansion with new programs and opportunities: donate now to the Center for Prison Education. Thank you for supporting our work. Wishing you happy holidays, Lexi Sturdy  Program Manager Lexi Sturdy and released student, James Keitt, tour Yale University |
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CPE hires new Fellow, Maddie Neufeld
Madeleine Neufeld (AMST, '12) began volunteering with the CPE in her sophomore year at Wesleyan, when she enrolled in the service-learning course "Critical Pedagogy." In her junior year, Madeleine was named Course Assistant, and she began to facilitate College Prep workshops at Cheshire Correctional Facility. Maddie maintained her involvement at Cheshire during her senior year as Student Coordinator for the CPE, and joined us this summer as the Center for Prison Education Graduate Fellow. Madeline graduated Wesleyan with honors from the American Studies Department in May. She hails from New York City. |
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Fall Semester at Cheshire C.I.
We've had an exciting and challenging semester of classes at Cheshire prison. Our students continue to be stimulated and motivated by their classmates and professors. Here is what they have to say about their classes midway through the semester:
Andre on The Anthropology of Money and the Economy, taught by Professor Gretchen Pfeil: "I'm excited for Gretchen's course because I'm interested in learning not only about the way our economy has been socially constructed, but also about the methodology of the anthropologist. I hope that seeing the ways in which other people have dealt with economic problems in the past will help me navigate my own future."
Clyde on Fiction Writing, taught by Professor Deb Unferth: "We started by talking about 'The Trial,' by Kafka, which I read every summer, and Professor Unferth was so receptive to my thoughts about the book. But then she surprised me by saying that I could take these reactions and transform them into a story of my own creation - which she has helped me write."
Josh on Drugs and Diseases, taught by Professor Mike McAlear: "I'm excited for this class because having a solid basis in biology helps us judge fact from fiction in current biological research and news stories on TV. Having taken the class two years ago, and now being Professor McAlear's Teaching Assistant, I have a new power of discernment that is incredibly useful."
Christopher on Algebra, taught by Wesleyan PhD candidate Abbey Bourdon: "Abbey is a great teacher. It's incredible how she quells the initial fear that can accompany a math class and makes the work clear, concise, and accessible."
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CPE's student forum offers pre-college programming at Cheshire C.I. and the Connecticut Juvenile Training School
As a part of our pre-college programming, the CPE offered weekly workshops at the Connecticut Juvenile Training School and workshops on The Odyssey at Cheshire prison. In these workshops Wesleyan students work with incarcerated students to foster the skills necessary to participate in college level courses. The volunteers also tutored the students at CJTS for their upcoming SAT's. These workshops are taught as a part of the student-led course on Wesleyan campus, "Prison Education and Pre-College Pedagogy," that aims to examine critical traditions in education through both theory and practice. Paul Silverman '13 and Haley Perkins '13 have co-facilitated the course, and they let us know "the group of nine has been gathering for rich, seminar-style discussions of classroom privilege, cultures of power, and education. They were eager and excited to facilitate the workshops in prison!"
 CPE volunteers Margo Tercek, Sarah Lerman-Sinkoff, Natalie Fine, Paul Silverman, Howard Tobochnik, and Ema Tanovic leave for Cheshire C.I.
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Wesleyan Center for Prison Education
222 Church Street
Middletown, CT 06459
wesleyan.edu/cpe
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