Day of the Dead
7/6 - Independence Day weekend, no children’s activities; no childcare. Family picnic, 1:00 p.m. Northwest Park.
7/13 - “Help for Darfur”, Sarah Karstaedt, leader. In conjunction with UUS:E’s commitment to making change in the oppressive practices in Darfur, we will construct a “tent” to represent the refugee conditions there. We will also decorate paper dolls to be sold during coffee hour with the proceeds being donated to the UUSC Darfur fund.
7/20, 27 & 8/3-“Swapboxing” with Leah Plourde,
leader. In this fun activity, children will determine what they would like
another UU congregation/RE program to know about us. They will create a
box of things that the children feel are important about our congregation
which we will exchange with another UU congregation.
7/30 - RE committee meeting, 7:00 p.m.
Helpers are needed for each Sunday this summer. Please sign up in the RE area.
Each year, we recognize those among us who have graduated or received an honor. This year, as I added the names of children and youth who currently or previously have been part of our Religious Education program, I realized I how much I love hearing what “my kids” are doing and how well they have grown up. I also love the example our “grown-ups” set by continuing to learn and grow. Congratulations to all, those named (in no particular order) and those from whom we did not hear. Vicki
Lisa DeFreitas graduated from River Street School in Windsor and is employed at CW Resources in New Britain.
Bryce Homick just graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art, cum laude, and has accepted a job as a "concept illustrator" with Firaxis, a computer gaming company based outside Baltimore.
Zoe Ounpuu-Adams received the Citizenship Award for grade 6 at the Bolton Center School.
Caitlin Eaton-Robb was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society at the Horace Porter School in Columbia.
Maddalena (Rosei) Jackson (daughter of Dorri Micocci & David Jackson) graduated with a B.S. in engineering with distinction from Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA, and with departmental honors in the humanities and social sciences. She won an American Association for the Advancement of Science Mass Media. She will begin working in January, 2009 at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada-Flintridge, CA. In between she hopes to work on her art portfolio, some 'cartoons' from which can be seen at www3.hmc.edu/~mjackson.
Molly Hess (daughter of Linda Yates) has graduated from Simsbury High School and will attend St. Olaf’s College in Minnesota.
Nevin Ounpuu-Adams graduated from Bolton Center School - with high honors and received the Leader Scholar Award. He also received the Superintendent of Schools award for best male student for which his teachers nominated him. He will be attending Bolton High School next year.
Jay Germain Kreisberg has graduated from Ohio State University with a major in sport science and physical education.
Sarah DeFreitas received her masters in Occupational Therapy in January from Quinnipiac University and was recognized as a Charter Oak Society Scholar.
Brita Peary graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Respiratory Care from Goodwin College and will be employed by Hartford Hospital.
Marysa Semprebon graduated from E.O. Smith High School in Storrs and will be attending Colorado State University in the fall.
Davitt Driscoll graduated from Michigan State University with his masters in physics.
Gabrielle Arias graduated from Manchester High School with high honors and will attend Boston University in the fall.
Tracey Jackson, received a Masters of Education from Cambridge College, Boston. Will continue teaching Respiratory Care at Goodwin College.
Paul Hess ( son of Linda Yates) graduated from Williams College with a BA in Astrophysics and is entering Harvard to work on a Doctorate in Physics.
Chris Hickey (son of Sandy Johnson) graduated from Manchester High School and will be attending the Art School at the University of Hartford in the fall. In addition to getting a generous scholarship from the University, he received additional art scholarships from the UUA, the Town of Manchester and the Manchester Art Association. He will be a camp counselor this summer at the Joslin Diabetes Camp for Boys. Chris will be having an art show at UUSE with an opening reception on Friday July 25th from 6:00 – 8:00pm. The show will run through August 17th
As I do every year, I have excerpted just a few of the thoughts from the Credo statements of this year’s Affirmands here. I am, as always, moved by their sharing and by the hope they bring for our future.
"I believe that through loving kindness and meditation we can all achieve happiness…the love and security that I felt that day and everyday from my amazing family and kind friends is what I feel is the basis of all that I will come to know in time.” Thea Bock-Hughes
"I will live my life doing the things that I enjoy, as long as it does not hurt any one else or myself...a necessity for life is to treat every one of every race, every financial background, every education, equally and kindly." Ray Cohen
"I have come to believe that every person is equal and never to stand in the way of someone else’s beliefs and dreams...I believe in the importance of friendship…of family…of knowing oneself." Hannah Dooling
"Now that I am old enough to really decide what I actually believe, I am not quite sure…All in all, I guess I believe in love, life, and everything in between." Sage Hess
"In a way I feel like I believe in more than I think I believe in…I’ve made sure to include creativity as a belief…I’d like to say I’m done, I know what to believe in…I know it’ll change." Megan Maury-Harden
"I believe that people should be healthy in their own different ways. People and animals should be taken care of…I also believe in God because when I pray I get rid of my nerves and sadness." Sydney Murphy
"I’ll just be one of those UUs who are like, ‘Oh, I don’t know what I believe,’ even though I know full well what I do believe in…I think that no person, under any circumstance, should ever stop searching for an answer. Even if you are of a certain religion, you should always be open to new ideas and accept other people’s thoughts and ideas." Alyse Semprebon
"I believe that as UUs and just as people on Earth we need to be careful about what we do to it…I feel that in order to have a truly successful life, I cannot be blind to things that are happening around me…the seven [UU] principles are important to me because if I try my best to live by them, then everything should work out in the end." Selena Shabot
"I believe that science can, and one day will, explain everything in the universe. I think psychology can explain all human behavior. No one is born inherently good or bad, but rather such behaviors are learned during a child’s developmental years." Andrew Vigeant
With faith in the future,
Vicki Merriam, Director of Religious Education
We operate during both Sunday services (9:00 and 11:00) with well over 100 youth registered. We offer curricula for pre-school through high school as well as diverse opportunities to build friendships among young people and adults in our community such as: monthly intergenerational services; RE Sunday; mentoring; Committee of Youth and Adults; and an annual society wide Talent Show.
Programming for our youth starts with a Montessori-style kindergarten/preschool class based on story telling and wonderings. This is a pilot UU curriculum that has been a huge success with our children and the adult storytellers. Class curricula over the eight-year course involve: Judeo-Christian themes; world religions; Native American spirituality; social justice; UU history and values; and the Our Whole Lives Human Sexuality curriculum. In 9th grade, youth attend the Affirmation program to learn about UUism and develop their own theology. For high schoolers we offer an active and diverse youth group. They attend youth conferences and host society wide dinners among other activities.
Children and youth have many opportunities to experience worship in a variety of settings including Children’s Worship with our Director of Religious Education, Vicki Merriam, with our Minister, Josh Pawelek, with their families and with their peers.
Please feel free to visit us and ask questions for further information. Or call 860 646-5151 to talk to someone on our staff.
The following curricula are used at the appropriate age/developmental level over the entire course of our religious education program for children and youth ages 3 to 15. Different curriculum is used in any given year. See the scope and sequence chart for more specific examples.
AFFIRMATION This is our coming of age program for youth who are preparing to be welcomed into the adult congregation. With the support of their mentors, participants will develop their own credos. Areas of study include: UU heritage and theology, personal beliefs, worship, and social responsibility. Culminates in the spring with an Affiirmation Ceremony.
Breakfast Club An informal and free-flowing gathering of youth with the DRE to discuss current issues and topics of interest to pre-teens.
Carry the Flame An interactive program of self-discovery and religious identity related to our seven UU principles.
Fox Indian Village Participants in this program explore Native American cultures, traditions, and philosophies, experience spirituality through nature, create ceremonies, hear stories, make crafts, learn survival skills, and more as we learn to live in harmony with the earth. Supplemental curricula include: “Honoring Mother Earth”; “Caring for Planet Earth”; and “Who Speaks for Wolf”.
Holidays and Holy Days This favorite curriculum is a hands-on exploration of world religions through the festive celebrations of significant holidays in various cultures and religious groups. Each lesson explicitly relates the theme of the celebration to a specific UU value or belief.
How Can We Know What to Believe? A look at how our UU beliefs can help us develop our beliefs about God, the Bible, death, and religion by exploring the existential questions that human beings have asked for millennia: Is there a God? What happens after we die? Why is there evil in the world? How are we to live our lives? And others. No answers, but the search begins. (note – this curriculum has been recently (07) adapted and renamed)
Messages In Music An introduction to the seven Unitarian Universalist principles and their sources using contemporary music.
Neighboring Faiths This introduction to the faith traditions and practices of other religious groups in our community engages us in a religious journey, reflects on unique and universal religious experiences, and helps us explore our own values, increase our understanding and appreciation of religious diversity, and strengthen our UU identity.
Our Whole Lives - OWL This UU human sexuality curriculum is designed to help adolescents acquire accurate information, develop positive attitudes, and make healthy decisions about the role of sexuality in their own lives in the context of a safe and trust-building setting with a focus on UU values. The advisors for this year-long program are trained by UUA. Commitment to regular attendance and parental permission are required. Parent meetings will be scheduled.
Practicing Our Principles The children will be putting our UU principles into action by working together on projects that have meaning to them. This is a hands-on course that is designed to be flexible in meeting the needs of the group. It involves group dynamics, social action, creative expression, and interaction with the larger UUS:E community.
Race To Justice This exploration of racial justice celebrates human diversity as a positive, enriching fact of life and invites youth to affirm important religious values, particularly our belief in the “inherent worth and dignity” of all people.
Special Places, Sacred Spaces This experiential curricula helps children to feel at home in many places, including their own bodies, UUS:E, and the world at large and to engage in the spiritual growth that being at home facilitates.
Spirit Play One of our favorites, this program encourages engagement at the child’s developmental level and mode of learning. By using stories from many traditions and “wonderings” about the lesson we hope to help the children to begin to “live into their own answers” to the big questions in life through the lens of UU values and beliefs.
Stories About God Inspired by images and issues from the Bible, world religions, feminist studies, science and human experience, we’ll find personal expression for our own thoughts and feelings about god.
Timeless Themes Jewish and Christian biblical literature, which is central to our cultural heritage, will help us explore fundamental ideas about trust, personal responsibility, justice, loneliness, loyalty, forgiveness and love.
Traditions with a Wink! By teaching an understanding of the UU faith through exploration of our religious identity and traditions, we hope to help our youth begin the process of shaping their own faith and building a sense of community.
Travel In Time Through the analogy of time travel, we’ll explore our religious identity and our sense of community. Along the way, we’ll learn about the origins of Unitarian Universalism in North America and the lives of individuals, past and present, who exemplify our faith, heritage, values, and principles.
Treasure Hunting This curriculum strives to involve children in the excitement of the search for meaning in life at the concrete level of their understanding with a goal of reaching the emotional and spiritual life of the child. It places an emphasis on activities that promote an accepting community while addressing the conflicts and problems that children face daily. Each week through games, crafts, songs, and stories, the children explore the meaning behind a Unitarian Universalist principle or value.
We Believe: Learning and Living Our UU Principles With each session focusing on one of our seven principles, we hope to develop a sense of UU identity, to help young people to be able to make positive statements about their beliefs, and to put those beliefs into action.
You the Creator With a focus on the themes of religion, creation, arts, individual creativity, and universal creativity, we’ll explore the innate creative power of each person to shape ourselves and the world.
Key to Scope and Sequence:
UU – Unitarian Universalist identity/principles/spirituality
WR – World Religions
J/C/B – Jewish, Christian, Bible
N/E – Nature/Environment
UUS:E Religious Education Program – Scope and Sequence (pdf)
“HELPING HANDS” - RE Social Action Projects
Each month we focus on a different project and ask that children and their families bring in items to place in our “Helping Hands” box in the RE area. This is a good way to begin to raise the awareness in our children of ways to help others and honor our UU Principles.
Last updated June 17, 2008
