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NAMI offers free class for parents of children with mental health conditions
GREENWICH — A free course will be offered in Old Greenwich to extend education and support to parents of children with mental health conditions.
NAMI Southwest CT, the local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, will hold its signature NAMI Basics course for parents and other caregivers of children and adolescents under the age of 17 who live with mental health challenges.
NAMI Basics is a sixsession education program designed to teach participants how best to support their children at home, at school and when getting medical care. Developed by NAMI, the course focuses on evidence-based practices most likely to produce positive outcomes.
The course will be taught by trained teachers from the local community who have lived the experience.
Open to all residents in the southwest Connecticut area, the course will meet from 9:15 to 11:45 a.m. on six consecutive Wednesdays, starting on April 24. Classes will be held at the First Congregational Church of Greenwich, 108 Sound Beach Ave.
The group setting of NAMI Basics provides a supportive environment for parents and caregivers to connect with others in similar circumstances. Participants will learn about mental health conditions and current treatments. They also will gain an overview of school and legal issues, public mental health care and juvenile justice systems. Parents and caregivers will also learn how to manage crises, communicate effectively, and advocate for their children’s rights at school and in health care settings.
To register for the course, call Mary at 203536-9486 or Evan at 203273-7226. Early registration is recommended.
NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest nonprofit organization aimed at improving quality of life for people living with mental illness and their families. For more information on NAMI Southwest CT, visit www.namisouthwestct.org.
Greenwich High earns AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award
Greenwich High School has earned the first College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science Principles. Schools honored with the award have expanded girls’ access in AP Computer Science courses.
Out of more than 18,000 secondary schools worldwide that offer AP courses, Greenwich High School is one of only 685 to accomplish this.
“We are honored by this recognition and are proud of our female students studying computer science for their achievements,” said GHS Headmaster Rick Piotrzkowski. “We’re committed to continuing to provide our female students with access to AP Computer Science courses and other STEM courses so they may follow their passions and pursue careers in stem-related fields.”
Schools receiving the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have either 50 percent or higher female representation in one of the two AP computer science courses or a percentage of the female computer science examinees meeting or exceeding that of the school’s female population. Only 490 schools earned the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for AP Computer Science Principles.
The AP Computer Science Principles course launch in 2016 was the largest in program history. The course has promoted the growth of AP computer science in high schools. Participation in the course has increased 135 percent since 2016, broadening STEM career opportunities for more students. The number of female, rural, and underrepresented minority students taking AP computer science exams has more than doubled in that period.
Providing female students with access to computer science courses contributes to gender parity in the industry’s high-paying jobs and drives innovation, creativity, and competition. According to UNESCO’s Institute of Statistics data, less than 30 percent of the world’s researchers are women; in North America and Western Europe, it’s just 32 percent. Research shows women are more likely to pursue computer science if they’re given the opportunity to explore it in high school.
For more information on the Greenwich Public Schools, visit www.greenwichschools.org