I Am Troy Davis Community Book Discussion
Have events in Ferguson prompted thought on the Criminal Justice System in the United States? Join with WSCSS teachers in a national conversation about the Death Penalty and the Criminal Justice System on December 10th, U.N. Human Rights Day.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014 (6:30-7:30 PM)
Greenwood Public Library
8016 Greenwood Ave. N, Seattle
This event is not sponsored by the Seattle Public Library
On September 21, 2011 Troy Davis was put to death by the State of Georgia, despite compelling evidence of his innocence. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world protested his execution. How did one man capture the world’s imagination and become the face for the campaign to end the death penalty?
I Am Troy Davis tells the intimate story of a man caught up in an inexorable tragedy. From a childhood in racially charged Savannah; to the confused events that led to the 1989 murder of a police officer; to Davis’s arrest and conviction and two-decade fight to prove his innocence, I Am Troy Davis takes us on a journey inside a broken system where life and death hang in the balance.
Through the prism of this personal story, educators might help students examine the daily realities of our justice system, as measured against the constitutional guarantees of due process, equal protection, and the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. The discussion will take advantage of the discussion/study guide developed by Equal Justice USA in partnership with Amnesty International USA and the NAACP.
Questions and additional information: ed.puchalla@mercerislandschools.org
Register for CSTP Teacher Leadership Conference -- Deadline is Apr 11
The Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession is excited to provide and revive the National Board Teacher Leadership Conference! This conference is focused on developing and enhancing the leadership skills of NBCTs using CSTP's Teacher Leadership Framework. The conference will include NBCT keynote speakers and presenters, discussion on relevant and interesting topics and leadership opportunities to think about, as well as other special highlights and goodies. The deadline to register is Friday, April 11.
WHEN: Group A - May 2 - 3, 2014 OR Group B - May 3 - 4, 2014
WHERE: Sun Mountain Lodge, Winthrop, WA
COST: $125 per NBCT, which includes 1 night of lodging (shared), lunch and dinner on day 1 and breakfast and lunch on day 2
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO ATTEND: This is a limited opportunity available to National Board teachers who work in a challenging school and/or have their National Board certificate in a STEM-related area.
Registration is open on a first come, first served basis. Visit the Conference Website to register and find out more information.
P.S. If you can't make it to Sun Mountain, stay tuned for information in May about registering for the Teacher Leadership Conference on Nov. 21-22 or 22-23 at Skamania Lodge along the Columbia Gorge.
Russian/American Educators' Exchange 2015
now accepting applications
American Friends of Russian Folklore invites middle- and high-school teachers to apply for the 2015 season of the Russian/American Educators’ Exchange.
Participants travel to rural Russia to collect Russian folklore by filming holiday celebrations, recording local singers, interviewing villagers about traditional lore, and photographing local handicrafts. They experience Russian village life first-hand, living in a village house and eating the local food.
They also visit Russian rural schools, where they will make presentations about American folklore and meet with Russian teachers to discuss matters of mutual professional interest.Upon return,the American teachers will create and share curriculum materials incorporating some element of the Russian folklore they collected.
The three folklore expeditions are timed to coincide with important holidays of the Russian traditional calendar:
• Expedition 1: Easter in Volgograd province, Danilov district. April 8- April 21 2015
• Expedition 2: Pentecost/Trinity Week in Smolensk province, Sevsk district.
May 21 - June 3 2015
• Expedition 3: Dormition Day traditions and first day of school traditions in Bryansk province. August22 - September 4 2015
Knowledge of Russian is useful, but not required.Translators will be provided.
The program grant covers all expedition travel, food and lodging, including an orientation meeting before departure and flights between New York and Moscow. Participants are responsible for obtaining their visas (around $300) and for travel between their homes and JFK.
All educators who work with middle- or high-school students or curriculum are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to those whose schools are in rural areas --- Census Bureau Locale Codes 41,42 or 43.
Registration for each trip will close 60 days before the trip start date.
For details and application instructions, visit russianfolklorefriends.org or email us at info@russianfolklorefriends.org
This opportunity is presented by American Friends of Russian Folklore, a 501©3public benefit corporation.
Funding comes from the US-Russia Peer-to-Peer Dialog Program, with additional support from the Russian and East European Institute of Indiana University.
Attn: History and Social Studies Teachers of Washington, Grades 5 – 12
The Colonial Dames of Washington is once again pleased to offer the following scholarships for your program development and enhancement.
Teacher Scholarships
Teacher scholarships must be applied for by March 17, 2015 and must be used by December 3, 2015. Please note that the website should be corrected soon to reflect the same date as the application.
Any history teacher or support personnel who teaches grades 5-12 in Washington State is eligible to apply, and may apply in more than one category. The maximum amount a scholarship can receive by each category is $1,000.00. Categories for scholarships include:
Continuing education relating to American history
Curriculum development
Travel & tuition to attend educational seminars relating to American history
Teacher enrichment project/program
Classroom/Curriculum Supplies
To access the scholarship application and to see what recipients have done in the past to enhance their programs visit our website at www.nscdawa.org Don’t miss this opportunity.
Contact is Peggy Paige-Most at mostp@msn.com
Washington State Global Issues Network (WAGIN) Conference
As many of you know, for the past four years, students and teachers at Chief Sealth International High School have organized a weeklong festival called World Water Week. This year we are doing something new and exciting: the first annual Washington State Global Issues Network (WAGIN) Conference
March 6-8, 2015 (Friday/Saturday/Sunday) we plan to host a few hundred middle and high school students at Chief Sealth IHS. We are partnering with Global Issues Network (GIN), a nonprofit that supports Global Issues conferences in Latin America and Asia. They have worked with a couple of independent schools in the U.S., but our conference will be the first international youth conference of its kind in the United States. The latest GIN conference took place in Buenos Aires in late October. You can watch videos of the student workshop sessions on the conference YouTube channel
Here's what WAGIN 2015 will look like:
* We will have some school-wide events and activities during the week leading up the conference. The content of the conference includes water, but is much broader. See our conference website<http://global-issues-network.org/wagin/ for the list of 20 global issues.
* All students who attend the conference will present workshop sessions about action projects that they have carried out (connected to one or more of the 20 global issues). All workshops are youth-led.
* Keynotes (2-3 per day). We are in the process of inviting some exciting speakers.
* Throughout the weekend, students will meet in "Global Villages" - these are groups of 10 students, all from different schools, who will have small group discussions (facilitated by youth).
* Each team of students that attend (2-6 in a team) will create a 1-2 minute trailer for their workshop. These will be shown as part of a film festival throughout the weekend.
* There will be a Global Action Fair with nonprofit organizations who carry out work related to the 20 global issues. Our 9th grade students will also be sharing their Water Ecology and Sustainability Action Team (WEST) Projects at this time.
* We are inviting schools from around the region to participate. We will also be hosting several schools from Latin America and Asia that are part of the GIN network.
* There are over 100 leadership roles for students for planning and implementing the conference. Several student committees have been meeting for the past two months.
