STEM sell - Westfair Communications

Camilla Gazal, 39, and Flavia Naslausky, 40, have much in common: Both are from Brazil; both are New York University-educated; and both are from the world of international finance. But the common element that found them recently standing amid the dust of a 2,500-square-foot construction site at 644 W. Putnam Ave in Greenwich is that both are mothers of grade-school children ”” Gazal of two boys and a girl and Naslausky of two boys ”” and no kid of theirs is going to be deficient in the four subjects the world cares most dearly about: the STEM curriculum of science, technology, engineering and math.

Zaniac ”” an after-school franchise with two outposts in Utah and now with one in Greenwich slated for a November grand opening ”” is the result.

Flavia Naslausky and Camila Gazal in the future Zaniac Greenwich on West Putnam Avenue.

“We both have small children and we became involved with their education,” Naslausky said. “The education here is terrific, but something was missing. What was lacking, we believed, was a math curriculum that was engaging and that kids actually have fun with.”

Gazal came to the same conclusion, calling the Greenwich public education “top notch,” but also saying, “More was needed in the area of mathematics. I implemented STEM studies at home and saw results. I was always a lover of numbers. Those two factors led me here.”

The pop culture world of youths can be rough on the math-centric: the geek, nerd, etc. But Greenwich has embraced a more commodious relationship with numbers, according to Naslausky and Gazal.

Naslausky related attending a science fair at Greenwich High School. “The kids were good looking. The guys were cool. We said, ”˜Wow, this is wonderful.”™”

The five paid teachers at Zaniac Greenwich will be high school seniors, all the better if they play sports. “We want it to be as good an experience for them as it is for the kids they are teaching,” said Naslausky. The women described their ideal high school teachers as “smart,” “extroverted,” “a role model for my kids” and “well-rounded.”

The women hope initially to attract 100 children. Once they sign up, students are assessed and placed in groups based on levels of STEM understanding. They advance at their own pace, with “enormously active” communications with parents via assessments and notes.

Curiously, perhaps, in a world of screens, “We still believe in pencil and paper,” Naslausky said. Hard-copy work will be scanned so parents can review it on their computers.

Sessions are 90 minutes per week. Some students are expected to enroll in multiple 90-minute sessions. Said Gazal, “If the kids don”™t ask their parents on Saturday morning, ”˜Please take me to Zaniac,”™ we are not doing our job right.”

Zaniac Greenwich will offer four programs: Zane Math, Minecraft Exploration, LEGO Robotics and Chess Instruction. Each program is nine hours over the course of six weeks. Programs meet after school on weekdays and Saturdays and are taught in groups of no more than five children per instructor. Cost for the programs ranges from $150 to $350.