In the News

Hamden ACES Wintergreen students pitch ideas to The Plaza in New York

June 16th, 2014

HAMDEN >> A group of ACES Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School students started the school year expecting the usual homework and project assignments, but never one that would land them in one of New York City's most luxurious hotels.

The students this week were a part of the first school group ever to present a class project at The Plaza Hotel.

Sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders from the school traveled Tuesday with Ingrid Ellinger-Doviak, head of the school's enrichment program. The students presented a project on which they have worked for the past five weeks.

"People this age having an interest is extraordinary," said Lynne Bragonier, assistant sales manager of retail at The Plaza.

Students presented their project, "Extra Hotel Amenities for Kids, by Kids," to Kristen Franzese, executive vice president of retail; George Cozonis, managing director of The Plaza; and Tracy Lowe, hotel manager.

Three student representatives of the class, sixth-grader  Zoe Sendroff, seventh-grader Taqi Rahman and eighth-grader Lauryn Darden, presented a list of 10 suggestions for making the hotel more kid-friendly.

Their suggestions included having a kid concierge, an emporium/candy store/Willy Wonka room, a library for kids to rent books and DVDs, cooking lessons in the kitchen, themed rooms, in-room video gaming, a recording studio to mix tracks and upload them to iPods, a celebrity in residence, a gym for kids and a kids-only spa.

"We will take them and see what ideas we can make come to life," said Cozonis as he listened to the students' suggestions.

"They really did their homework and they asked good questions that made us think. I hope they get something out of it, because we sure did," said Bragonier.

The enrichment class taught by Ellinger-Doviak meets for 90 minutes once a week. Students are chosen for the class by Ellinger-Doviak based primarily on teacher recommendations and in-class observations.

"We try to give every child an experience with the enrichment pull-out program," said Ellinger-Doviak. "They don't have to be A-plus students; we love creative, out-of-the box thinkers [who] will bring gifts to the table for challenging projects."

The trip came about after the students focused on the theme of making a luxury hotel more kid-friendly. In researching hotels, students found The Plaza most interesting, Ellinger-Doviak said, so she pitched the idea of the visit to hotel management.

The three representatives of the 24 total students attending the field trip were chosen by Ellinger-Doviak on the bus ride to The Plaza.

"We didn't know we were presenting until we got on the bus, so we took notes. I didn't have a big fear of talking in front of people, and it wasn't that bad; it was fun," said Lauryn.

Taqi was confident in their presentation and said, "The ideas we presented were exciting and I felt good and passionate about them."

Zoe said that in class, she and her classmates drew a hotel model, and after presenting she said, " I was kind of scared in the beginning, but I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

While the students in the enrichment class have taken several interactive field trips throughout the course, Ellinger-Doviak said she thought that this trip was an amazing experience for everyone involved and gave students a great chance to experience luxury in New York City.

Ellinger-Doviak concluded the field trip by asking what students would take out of their experience. One student responded by saying he got to see how other people lived.

"The Plaza was fabulous from beginning to end and welcomed us as guests like the celebrities they spoke of," said Ellinger-Doviak. "The students will remember this trip forever."

New Haven Register