Carol Tanzman, Steven Cugley and Alicia Stanco

The team’s innovative teaching idea, “Living Newspaper,” focuses on increasing students’ reading prosody –the rhythm and pattern of sounds of language, and depth of understanding through the independent study of non-fiction topics. Students independently will study self-selected historical resources, current events, novels, and biographies, and then work with the drama department to create an original production based on their texts. The Voya grant will allow the team to continue running the program she has been running for the last two years. Tazman and her team believe that the project’s success comes from putting student input at the core of the project’s creation and relying on individual teacher expertise to bring their visions to life. Through this method, students are provided an expansive and nuanced learning experience where the teachers hope the students further develop an understanding of how the arts can make a difference in their education, community and society.