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How a Central Falls school is inching its way towards year-round schooling • Rhode Island Current

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How a Central Falls school is inching its way towards year-round schooling • Rhode Island Current


Angelo Garcia likens our current education system to a snow globe. Everybody basically agrees on what should be the bits of educational snowflake materials – the math, science, geography, even recess. Once in a while the globe might get shaken up by demands for accountability, radically changing reading instruction, or whatever.

But in time, with hardly anyone noticing, the snowflakes quietly drift back down to what Garcia, co-founder and executive director of the Segue Institute for Learning, calls “the same inflexible, contained environment.”
With, I might add, the same lackluster results.

For 15 years, Garcia and Segue co-founder, Melissa Lourenco, have been experimenting with how to rearrange the necessary elements of education, but get past its conventional confines.

For example, kids’ summer learning loss is an accepted liability of the agrarian school calendar. For students at this school in Central Falls, the poorest community in Rhode Island, it’s dire.

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On a recent, hot summer day, Lourenco took me on a tour of what initially looked like a typical, remedial summer school, with a phonics lesson here and math puzzles there.

A Spanish-dominant group of squirmy little kids hovered around a young instructor helping them unpack the meanings and feelings of emotion words. Would, for example, getting a shot at the doctor’s office make you worried, or “preocupada?” The kids erupted with anxious chatter. The adult switched easily and often between English and Spanish, to translate and commiserate.

The instructor is one of six extra adults who are either doing their teaching practicum through the Rhode Island School for Progressive Education or are completing a B.A. through College Unbound. These programs fast-track would-be teachers who need experience.

Several schools work with these programs since education badly needs more teachers, but especially teachers of color. Other than maternity leaves, Segue has had zero teacher turnover, but they’ll need new teachers eventually. For them, the extra adults helped make the student groups smaller, giving more attention to students who need as much help as they can get.

The kids in that squirmy group are incoming kindergartners getting a jumpstart on language skills, and making friends and adult allies. Few summer programs would bother with students who don’t yet need academic remediation.

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The Segue summer strategy has the groups – K-8 – cycling through six “stations” Monday through Thursday. Each station lasts only 25 minutes, so they don’t have time to get bored before moving on to a new subject and place. Three stations are academic – math, English Language Arts and the social-and-emotional learning one we observed. The other three stations promote creativity and collaboration with soft-sell academics woven throughout – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), arts and crafts, and recreation, which is essentially organized recess.

From left, social worker Miguel Pacheco, kindergarten teacher Chloe Allen, and teaching fellow Yussef Abdullah strategizing about methods for teaching during a professional development exercise at the Segue Institute for Learning in Central Falls on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current)

Summer staff experiment beyond the regular curriculum in search of lessons that might be more effective or engaging for use during the regular school year.

On Friday, a.k.a. Fun Friday, kids go bowling, to the beach, the movies, or whatever the grant they got for the purpose can afford. It’s a huge draw.

Indeed, a fifth-grader steamed up to me singing the praises of “all the fun stuff,” while proudly assuring me that while he still had “bad behavior” feelings, “I know how to behave.” He’s apparently a handful, but strongly motivated to stay in the program.

Lourenco says the older kids moan and groan about summer school, but they come. During the regular year, Segue’s 360 urban students have a remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate, 10%. But the 120 enrolled in the summer program come almost as faithfully.

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A fifth-grader steamed up to me singing the praises of “all the fun stuff,” while proudly assuring me that while he still had “bad behavior” feelings, “I know how to behave.

A cohort of kids referred for chronic absenteeism work with a social worker who brainstorms with the older kids about how they could get themselves to school regularly. The younger students attend the academic program to make up for lost time and learning while the social worker engages with their families, who should be getting them to school.

Other students come because they have special needs. A few come because their families badly need child care and plead their case with school officials.

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Garcia insists that Segue’s is not really a summer school, “but an extension of the school year. There’s always a need to prevent regression, which is why we’re talking about a year-round school.”

Lourenco experienced year-round schooling in another state. She started “whispering” the possibility to the staff, and found them to be surprisingly open. The school would stay within their 185-day year, but take intermittent two weeks off for, say, a fall break. The breaks would be timed differently from the other public schools so families aren’t competing with the rest of the state for flights or space at the Children’s Museum.

To boot, Garcia believes such a year-round schedule would ease teacher burnout as well as staunching learning loss. Teacher burnout is as big a problem as learning loss and probably contributes to it.

That said, teachers already work more weeks than is typical, starting the first week of August. While that sounds like a deal-breaker for many, Segue’s teachers stick around and their chronic absenteeism is zero.

“Obviously,” Garcia says, “Segue is not for everybody.”

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But it’s not a snow globe either.

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RISP Warwick Arrests July 10: Threatening Officials, DUI – WarwickPost.com

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RISP Warwick Arrests July 10: Threatening Officials, DUI – WarwickPost.com


RI Trooper Log arrests, including Warwick arrests. The Rhode Island State Police are stationed in several barracks throughout Rhode Island.
RI Trooper Log arrests, including Warwick arrests. The Rhode Island State Police are stationed in several barracks throughout Rhode Island.

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WARWICK, RI — RI State Police Warwick arrests in the area July 4 – 11 in the RI Trooper Log  included charges for DUI and threatening public officials.

Here are the basics on those RI State Police RI Trooper Log Warwick arrests:

 

 

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RI Trooper Warwick Arrests July 4 – 11

Erratic Driver Reports, DUI On Saturday, July 4, 2026 at 10:03 p.m., troopers arrested Adrian King, 58, 78 Potters Avenue, Rhode Island, for 1.) Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicating Liquor and/or Drugs – B.A.C .15 or Greater – Second Offense (Phase I: 0.292, Phase II: 0.272). This arrest was the result of multiple calls to the Barracks reporting an erratic operator, and Troopers locating the vehicle on East Avenue in the City of Warwick.

The subject was transported to the State Police Wickford Barracks, where he was processed, arraigned by a Justice of the Peace, and released with a notice to appear in Third District Court.

Stolen Vehicle On July 5 members of the Auto Theft Task Force arrested David O’Donnell, age 37, of 112 Harrington Ave., Warwick, Rhode Island, for 1) Possession of Stolen Motor Vehicle; 2) Possession of Stolen Motor Vehicle; 3) Conspiracy to Possess a Stolen Motor Vehicle; 4) Conspiracy to Commit a Crime Out of State.

O’Donnell was transported to the Wickford Barracks where he was processed then turned over to the Adult Correctional Institution Intake Center pending arraignment at Second Division District Court.

Threatening Public Official On Wednesday, July 8, at 9:27 p.m., troopers arrested Christopher Brum, 27, of 43 Junction St., Warwick, Rhode Island, on an Affidavit and Arrest Warrant for 1.) Threats to Public Officials and 2.) Disorderly Conduct originating out of the Rhode Island State Police Scituate Barracks.

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This arrest was the result of a barracks investigation by Trooper Downing and Troopers locating Brum at his residence. Brum was processed at Rhode Island State Police Headquarters and held overnight pending arraignment at the Third Division District Court.

Driving without license On Friday, July 10 at 1:30 a.m., troopers arrested Victor Perez Escobar, 37 of 83 Judith Road, Newton, Massachusetts for 1.) Driving after Denial/Revocation/ Suspension – Certain Violations – First Offense. One of several Warwick arrests, this arrest was the result of a motor vehicle stop on Route 95 in the City of Warwick.

The subject was transported to the State Police – Wickford Barracks where he was processed and held overnight pending morning arraignment at Third District Court where he will be presented as a bail violator.

DUI, Centerville Road stop At 2:16 a.m. July 11, troopers arrested Calvin Hebert, 23, of 211 John Potter Road, West Greenwich, Rhode Island, for 1.) Driving Under the Influence of Liquor – BAC Unknown – First Offense and 2.) Refusal to Submit to Chemical Test – First Offense.

The arrest was the result of a motor vehicle stop on Centerville Road, in the City of Warwick. The subject was transported to the State Police – Wickford Barracks, where he was processed, arraigned by a Justice of the Peace, and released with a future Third Division District Court date.

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How Federal Hill became Rhode Island’s iconic Little Italy food hub

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How Federal Hill became Rhode Island’s iconic Little Italy food hub


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  • Federal Hill’s Italian culinary reputation developed gradually, starting in the early 20th century with establishments like Marconi’s Restaurant (1914) and Scialo Bros. Bakery (1916).
  • The influx of Italian immigrants, primarily from Naples, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries shaped the neighborhood’s culinary identity.
  • Federal Hill’s historical significance as a hub for Italian food has been recognized nationally, with recent accolades from publications like National Geographic and Travel & Leisure.

How did Federal Hill gain its reputation for Italian food? 

Start with a look at a timeline of restaurants and markets in Providence and you’ll get it.

1914: Camille’s is opened at 174 Atwells Ave. by Pasquale Parolisi as Marconi’s Restaurant. It moves to its current space in a small part of a mansion on Bradford Street in 1919. In 1952, it is renamed Camille’s Roman Gardens by Jack Parolisi in honor of his wife.

1916: Brothers Luigi and Gaetano open Scialo Bros. Bakery on Federal Hill. Gaetano returned to Italy in 1925, and Luigi ran it until his death at 103 in 1993 when daughters Carol Gaeta and Lois Ellis began to run the bakery. New owners took over in 2021.

1922: Giuseppe DeGiulio and his wife, Maria, open Joe’s Acorn Market on Atwells Avenue. Their sons, Joseph, Gerald and John DeGiulio, retired the business in 2002.

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1924: Angelo Mastrodicasa opens Angelo’s Civita Farnese on Federal Hill. Angelo’s begins as a lunchroom frequented by men who immigrated from Italy and are working to earn enough to bring their families over. The restaurant is now operated by Jamie Antignano, fourth generation.

1952: Tony’s Colonial begins selling imported and domestic Italian foods on Federal Hill in Providence. Tony and Elina “Gina” DiCicco have been running it since 1969.

1953: Caserta’s Pizza opens on Spruce Street. They made a name with the “Wimpy Skippy,” more than a spinach pie.

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1955: Joe Marzilli’s Old Canteen opens on Federal Hill. It’s run by Joe and then son Sal Marzilli until 2025.

1972: Alan Costantino buys Venda Ravioli. It quadruples in size as a food emporium when it moves to its current location at 275 Atwells Ave. in 2001.

Antonelli’s Poultry on DePasquale Plaza is said to have opened in the late 19th century. What’s certain is that Christopher Morris ran Antonelli’s beginning in 1969 until his death in 2024.

Historic Federal Hill

It’s hard to believe that Federal Hill was used mainly for grazing cattle until the 1820s. But that’s the history. It was only in the mid-1800s that it became home to many of Providence’s artisans and working class. A wave of Irish immigrants moved into Federal Hill in the 1840s.

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But as Italian immigrants began to arrive in large numbers in the 1880s, the neighborhood took on a different flavor.

All things Italian became the main attraction.

Federal Hill attracts shoppers from all over the state

Joan Nathan is a Providence native and a groundbreaking writer who links food with culture and has won the biggest prizes for culinary writing, especially about Jewish foods. She recounted the appeal of Federal Hill from her youth.

Nathan, 82, recalls her father taking her shopping on Federal Hill, where the foods were exotic to her. Stores sold freshly made mozzarella, homemade clam sauces, linguine and cookies. Sausage would hang from the rafters and olives were sold out of barrels.  

People came from all over the state to shop on Federal Hill, she said.

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Years later, in 1984, Nathan wrote “An American Folklife Cookbook” and returned to Federal Hill for research. One chapter featured the DeGiulio family, who were the owners of Joe’s Acorn Market in Providence. Their family history as butchers went back 700 years in Italy. They brought that to Providence.

They weren’t alone.

Many Italian immigrants arriving in the late 1800s and early 1900s, brought their skills as bakers and their cooking skills along with their favorite foods. Most came from Campania, the region that includes Naples. They brought their local Italian cooking, mostly Neapolitan, with accents from Sicily, Calabria, Puglia and Abruzzi. 

As they settled on Federal Hill, they opened cafés and markets. Maybe they started with a pushcart. Eventually, restaurants followed, many of them.

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A wave of them opened in the 1980s, building on a 20-year period of growth. They included The Grotto Azzura, later the Blue Grotto (1980); Roma (1983); Plaza Grille (1987); Cassarino’s (1988); Andino’s (1989); and L’Epicureo, which added table service to Joe’s Quality Market (1991).

In the news

The world noticed. Mary Ann Esposito filmed segments of her long-running “Ciao Italia” on Federal Hill in 1989. Bobby Flay arrived in 2001 to film “FoodNation” for the Food Network.

National Geographic just named Federal Hill as one of the eight best Little Italy neighborhoods in the United States, along with those in Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego, Philadelphia and Cleveland.

Two years ago, Travel & Leisure reported on the most authentic Little Italys, placing Federal Hill at No. 3 behind Boston’s North End and San Diego.

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Spoiler: It’s all about the food.

Editor’s note: This story was first published in June 2025.



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How did Jake Bauer win the 2026 State Amateur? With an all-time comeback

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How did Jake Bauer win the 2026 State Amateur? With an all-time comeback


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SEEKONK, MA – If given a choice, Jake Bauer would have traveled a different road. 

Friday felt like nothing but potholes and lane closures until the afternoon conclusion at Ledgemont Country Club. It was far from an uneventful ride. 

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The destination was something he’s chased for nearly a decade – a second crown at the 121st Amateur Championship – one that came thanks to a sensational rally past Tyler Cooke. 

Bauer’s three straight birdies to start what proved to be his final five holes of the week allowed him to catch and pass Cooke. A sizeable morning deficit was gone in the 36-hole match play title round, and Bauer was suddenly on his way to a 2 and 1 triumph. 

“For any golfers out there – cash games, junior golfers – don’t do it,” Bauer said. “It’s not fun. But if you do pull through, it’s a really, really cool story to say you did it.” 

Cooke was 6 up after the opening morning nine and looked at times like he would cruise to his first championship. Bauer started applying pressure with an immaculate second nine holes and continued to push until finally breaking through. His curling uphill birdie putt at the par-3 15th – the 33rd hole of the match – found the cup to give Bauer a lead he never relinquished. 

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“I don’t even know what just happened on the last six or seven holes,” Bauer said. “You sort of just black out. I’m speechless.” 

Bauer added a par at the 16th to go 2 up and only needed to halve either of the remaining two holes with Cooke to get the job done. Each made bogey at the uphill par-4 17th, with Bauer lagging his par putt to within inches. Cooke conceded the final stroke, and Bauer was able to take a deep breath while hugging his father and caddie, Jim. 

“My dad was really good,” Bauer said. “He doesn’t really get too technical with me. He’s a very calm soul to have on the bag.” 

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Bauer needed every bit of that even temperament to survive the early stages. Cooke collected seven birdies through his first 23 holes, the last coming at the par-4 fifth. That gave him a 3-up lead, and he was able to remain in front until Bauer buried clutch putts at the par-4 13th, the par-4 14th and the 187-yard downhill tester. 

“[The birdie putt] definitely had some speed,” Bauer said. “I think if that didn’t go in we would have probably been on 18 or in extra holes.” 

Bauer carded five bogeys on his opening nine before a solid birdie at the par-4 10th gave him a first taste of momentum. He racked up seven pars and another birdie at the par-4 18th before entering the lunch break just 2 down. It was a similar charge to the one Bauer made in the quarterfinals, as he won five of the last six holes to edge Jason Kalin, 1 up. 

“I performed really well this whole week in stroke play and other matches,” Bauer said. “I said if I just stick to that same game plan I will end up on top.” 

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Cooke battled his way into the match play bracket after an opening 76 in Monday’s steady rain. He rebounded with a 73 under more precipitation Tuesday and immediately produced an upset by knocking out No. 4 seed Sam Powell. Cooke has been a steady winner since an All-State career at Toll Gate and college tenure at Connecticut, including a record five titles at the Four-Ball Championship with brother-in-law Bobby Leopold. 

Bauer had just graduated from Johnson & Wales when he won for the first time here, an impressive victory over Matt Broome. He fell in last year’s final to Mike Calef, surrendering a late lead in a 1 up loss at Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington. Bauer wasted no time booking a third appearance in the title match and did so with some extra support – his wife, McKenna, was in the gallery less than a month after they exchanged vows in June. 

“We didn’t even know each other back in 2018,” Bauer said. “For her to experience this – I don’t even know what emotions she was going through. I’m really happy to share it with her.” 

bkoch@providencejournal.com

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On X: @BillKoch25 



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