Press Releases

ACES Shows Its PRIDE by Participating in the First Middletown PRIDE Festival & Parade

June 7th, 2019

(North Haven, CT. June 7, 2019) Illustrating its longtime organizational belief that diversity strengthens an organization, Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) is proudly supporting the inaugural Middletown PRIDE Festival, which is highlighted by a PRIDE parade Saturday, June 15, 2019. ACES employees will be marching at the parade and manning an informational booth during the festival. The City of Middletown, the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, and Wesleyan University are leading the event that is designed to be a celebration of Middletown’s diverse community and particularly the lives and contributions of its lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning residents.

The parade will commence at 2 p.m. in Middletown, Connecticut on Main Street at St. John’s Square and proceeds down Main Street to Union Street. The festival will take place on the “South Green” immediately following the conclusion of the parade and highlights local businesses and organizations.

Kevin Walton, ACES Human Resources Specialist /ACES Minority Teacher Recruitment Coordinator, co-chairs the ACES Diversity Committee.

“The ACES Diversity Committee is excited about the opportunity to participate in the Middletown Pride. Diversity is at the core of who we are as an organization and the Diversity Committee is proud to work with the ACES Executive Leadership Council to ensure that Diversity remains as a pillar of the agency,” says Walton.  “ACES mission to enhance and transform lives through education, innovation, and leadership. With close to 1,000 employees serving a uniquely diverse student, staff, and adult population, we certainly understand the correlation between successfully providing a safe learning experience and hiring individuals with many different life experiences to take care of the populations that we have the privilege to serve.”

Joining ACES employees marching in the parade will be the Connecticut Tigers Winter Guard. The Connecticut Tigers Winter Guard is an independent color guard program for performers with special needs. For the past twelve years, this ensemble has entertained audiences at events across the Northeast, including Winter Guard International regional championships, NCAA Elite Eight halftime shows, and the Special Olympics of Connecticut Summer Games Opening Ceremony. Erika Forte, a principal for many years at ACES Mill Academy, founded and still runs the group today.

“We are so excited to be joining the ACES employees for this great event that celebrates the diversity of people with all types of backgrounds and challenges,” said Forte. “This is how we live our creed and beliefs of transforming disabilities into abilities.  We have had a ball planning and designing our float.”

Current and former members of the Cheshire High School, Lyman Hall High School, Amity High School, Trumbull High School, and University of New Haven color guard personnel are mentors for the Tigers.  The Connecticut Tigers provide a venue for both the members with special needs and their mentors to share their love of the activity and learn from each other every week. Lessons beyond the show are learned as well – patience, pride, and success.

At the ACES information booth for the festival, residents can learn more about ACES/Middlesex County’s Early Head Start program, ACES’ summer camp programs (STEAM Camp at TEMS and Arts Camp at ECA), registering to attend Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School and Thomas Edison Middle School, and information about employment opportunities at ACES. To learn more about the Middletown PRIDE activities, go to www.middletownpride.org and to support the Connecticut Tigers Winter Guard, log onto www.cttigers.org.

About ACES:

Area Cooperative Educational Service’s (ACES) is to transform lives through education, innovation, and leadership. One of six Connecticut regional educational service centers, ACES is the regional educational services center for the twenty-five communities in New Haven and is both a school district and a non-profit services agency. ACES serves 2,300 students from fifty-seven communities throughout Connecticut at its three magnet schools and nine special education schools. ACES service divisions include international educational programs and services, technology, transportation, translation, behavior services and autism programs, extension therapy services (occupational and physical therapy), assistive technology, collaborative programs, professional development, human resources and financial services, and ACCESS, a vocational and life skills program for developmentally and physically challenged adults. ACES also runs the Open Choice program for New Haven County as well as a magnet school parent choice program for its Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School and Thomas Edison Middle School. Additionally, ACES runs the Middlesex County Early Head Start Partnership program. For additional information, go to www.aces.org.