Justin Ballou

Ballou’s innovative teaching idea, “Hip Hop and American Culture,” focuses on providing a hands-on, project-based curriculum, presenting an opportunity for the students at Campbell High School to immerse themselves into components of today’s culture. This curriculum will create a new class titled “Don’t Sweat the Technique: American Culture through the Lens of Hip Hop,” which will look at modern American culture and the influence that hip hop has continued to have on the political, economic, social, and moral systems of its consumers. With the support of the Voya grant, students will participate in the creation of content and immerse themselves in multimedia components as well as will leverage their own passions and abilities in the creation of a sustainable curriculum transferable to other districts. Ballou ultimately hopes to use the opportunity to provide students with the tools and micro-budgets necessary for them to become self-directed and highly-engaged learners.