Awards and Accolades

Date: March 2009

Read about the special awards won and notable books written by writing project teachers.

Alabama

Mobile bay writing project

Ronald Polizzi, 2007 fellow, published his first novel, Heart of Dixie (Deer Hawk Publications, 2009), and is featured in the Pensacola News Journal. Polizzi teaches art at Chastang Middle School, in an area of Mobile where children face the threat of drugs and gang violence every day. "My belief," he says, "is if I can help children see the beauty in life and not just the ugly side of things they can rise above their present situation." You can order the book from the publisher, where a portion of the royalties will be donated to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

Arizona

Southern arizona writing project

Edith Baker, 1987 fellow, coedited (with Linda S. Bergmann) and wrote a chapter for Literature and/or Composition: The End(s) of Education , published by NCTE Press. Baker is an associate professor at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois.

Kate Cusumao, 2006 and 2008 fellow, had her article "Every Mark on the Page: Educating Family and Community Members about Young Children's Writing" published in Language Arts 86 (1), September 2008. She is an adjunct instructor for University of Arizona South in the Teacher Education Division.

David Herring, 2003 fellow, was selected as a finalist for the Bechtel Prize from the Teachers & Writers Collaborative for his essay "A Classroom for Old Men: Aging among Poems and Teenagers." Herring teaches at University High in Tucson.

Arkansas

Great bear writing project

Lori Bell, 2005 fellow, and Cindy Romeo, 2001 fellow, have both achieved National Board Certification this year. Lori Bell teaches sixth grade at Western Yell County Elementary School in Danville, and Cindy Romeo teaches AP English at Bob Courtway Middle School in Conway.

Charlotte Rainey Green, 2001 fellow and Principal of the Woodrow Cummins Elementary School in Conway, has just been named by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette (state) newspaper as one of the "ones to watch"—one of twenty community leaders profiled annually in Central Arkansas.

Director Stephanie Vanderslice edited, with her frequent collaborator Dr. Kelly Ritter, the January 2009 special issue of College English, subtitled Creative Writing in the 21st Century (vol. 71 no. 3). Vanderslice teaches writing at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.

northwest arkansas writing project

Christina Hoisington, 2007 fellow, and Jane Keith, 2006 fellow, have both been awarded National Board Certification. Hoisington teaches literacy, grades 5 and 6, at Old High Middle School in Bentonville. Keith, who teaches second grade at Mathias Elementary School in Rogers, is 70 years old and in her 41st year of teaching.

California

area 3 writing project

Michelle Campbell, 1998 fellow, received the 2009 Zoe Barnum Fellowship. She will travel to the Vermont Studio Center—the largest international artists' and writers' residency program in the United States, hosting 50 visual artists and writers each month from around the world—and will reside there for four weeks while working on a novel. Campbell teaches 7th/8th grade English and honors 8th grade English at Albiani Middle School in Elk Grove.

Inland Area Writing Project

Karen Dutcher, 2003 fellow, recently made her seventh trip to the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, heading up a team that trained teachers in critical thinking in the areas of reading and writing. During one of the sessions Dutcher presented a poetry writing activity from the booklet titled Because Writing Matters: Helping Your Children Become Confident, Skilled Writers, In and Beyond School (California Writing Project, 2004). Dutcher will return to this same location in April 2009 to continue training with a new team of teachers. Dutcher teaches eighth grade language arts at Amelia Earhart Middle School in Riverside.

Redwood Writing Project

Leslie Barkley, 1997 fellow, was awarded National Board Certification in 2008. Barkley teaches second grade in the Grace Hudson Elementary School dual language immersion program in Ukiah, and is RWP's programs director for Mendocino and Lake Counties.

Maureen Taylor, 2001 fellow, won the California Association of Teachers of English Classroom Excellence Award, 2009. Taylor teaches seventh grade at McKinleyville Middle School in McKinleyville.

San Diego Area Writing Project

Rebecca Gemmell, 2001 fellow, published "Encouraging Student Voice in Academic Writing" in the  November 2008 English Journal. Gemmell is an English teacher and secondary staff development coordinator at Escondido High School in San Diego.

Makeba Jones, director and 2002 fellow, and Susan Yonezawa, 2004 fellow, published "Student-Driven Research" in Educational Leadership 66 (4) (December 2008/January 2009). Jones and Yonezawa are both project research scientists at UC San Diego.

Karen Wroblewski, 1989 fellow, principal of San Diego High / School of International Studies, has been named the Magnet Schools of America Region IX (California, Arizona, and Nevada) Principal of the Year. This award recognizes an outstanding school leader who has succeeded in providing innovative programs that promote equity, diversity, and academic excellence for students in magnet schools. In April, the national Magnet Principal of the Year will be selected from among the regional award recipients.

Colorado

Denver Writing Project

Rick VanDeWeghe, founding director of the Denver Writing Project (2000 to 2008), is publishing his book Engaged Learning (Corwin Press, March 30, 2009). VanDeWeghe is an associate professor of English at the University of Colorado Denver.

Florida

Florida State University Writing Project

Susan L. Womble, 2007 fellow, recently published a young people's novel, Newt's World: Beginnings (CyPress Publications, 2008), along with a teacher's edition, an accompanying in-depth workbook for students, and a kid-friendly website that includes not only information, but also games and fun activities. Newt's World has just been named the Florida Books Award gold medal winner for this year in the area of children's literature. Womble teaches language arts and learning strategies to students with specific learning disabilities, grades 9-12, at Godby High School in Tallahassee.

Georgia

Georgia Southern Writing Project

Alicia Howe, 2008 fellow, presented a workshop titled "Ethos, Logos, and Pathos...Oh My! Making Argument Practical for Students" at the Student Success in First Year Composition Conference (SSFYC) at Georgia Southern University. Blair Chapman, 2006 fellow, Julie Douberly, 1996 fellow, and June Joyner, 2003 fellow presented "Cinquains, Sestinas, and Drabbles: The Unfamiliar Genre Project," a workshop about classifying texts, at SSFYC. Howe, Chapman, Douberly, and Joyner all teach English at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro.

Indiana

Appleseed Writing Project

Glenda Moss, co-site-director and 2002 fellow; Terry Springer, co-director and 2002 fellow; and Karol Dehr, co-site-director and 2003 fellow, coauthored and published an article titled "Guided Reflection Protocol as Narrative Inquiry and Teacher Professional Development" in Reflective Practice 9 (4): 497–508. Moss is an associate professor of secondary education in the School of Education at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne; Springer is a high school English teacher who has taught English and creative writing in Fort Wayne Community Schools for 30 years; and Dehr is a lecturer in the Department of English and Linguistics at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Glenda Moss also coauthored (with L. Moore and J. Nichols) "Crossing Educational Boundaries: Text, Technology, and Dialogue as a Critical Pathway," published in Teacher Education and Practice 21 (1): 16–32.

Kansas

South Central Kansas Writing Project

Nancy Sturm, 2000 fellow, published two articles: "One by One" in the Jan/Feb edition of Alive Now, and "Ahh, Spring" in the Spring edition of The Secret Place. Sturm, who has just retired from teaching, taught junior and senior English, including advanced placement literature, at Wichita Heights High School in Wichita.

Michigan

Eastern Michigan Writing Project

Doug Baker, co-director and 1987 fellow (San Joaquin Writing Project), is coeditor of the Language Arts Journal of Michigan. Its fall 2007 issue, "Digital Technology," won one of the two honorable mentions for NCTE's 2008 Affiliate Journal Award. Baker teaches English Education at Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti.

Cathy Fleischer, co-director, and Sarah Andrew-Vaughn, 2000 fellow, published Writing Outside Your Comfort Zone: Helping Students Navigate Unfamiliar Genres (Heinemann, 2009). Fleischer teaches English Education at Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti. Andrew-Vaughn teaches English, grades 9–12, at Huron High School in Ann Arbor.

Val Johnson, 2002 fellow, contributed an article to the fall 2007 Language Arts Journal of Michigan: "How a $49 Webcam Turned a Class Around and Saved my Sanity." Johnson teaches English, grades 9–12, at Allen Park Community School in Allen Park.

John Staunton, co-director, published Deranging English/Education: Teacher Inquiry, Literary Studies, and Hybrid Visions of "English" for 21st-Century Schools (NCTE, 2008). Staunton teaches English Education at Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti.

Red Cedar Writing Project

Janet Swenson, director, and the Red Cedar Writing Project received Michigan State University's Outreach Scholarship Community Partnership Award, which was bestowed on them at an awards convocation on February 3. The award, given annually, provides universitywide recognition of highly engaged community-based research collaborations that positively impact both the community and the scholarship of MSU faculty work. Swenson is one of the founding directors of Red Cedar Writing Project, which was founded in 1993.

Mississippi

MSU Writing/Thinking Project

Betty Collum, 2001 fellow, is the 2009 recipient of the Patricia B. Mitchell Memorial Service to the Profession Award, given each year to one exceptional teacher-consultant of the Mississippi Writing/Thinking Institute (MWTI), the state network of seven NWP sites. Collum, a National Board Certified teacher, is a recently retired fourth and fifth grade teacher at Eupora Elementary School in Eupora.

Missouri

Greater Kansas City Writing Project

Brijin Johnson Gardner, 2002 fellow, authored a chapter titled "Theraplay with Difficult Adolescents" in Dr. Evangeline Munn's book Applications of Family and Group Theraplay (Jason Aronson, 2009), and will be presenting at the National Theraplay Conference in Chicago this summer. Gardner is a social worker who works with groups of children and with individuals at Platte County Middle School and Paxton Elementary school in Platte County.

New York

Western New York Writing Project

Jennifer Borowicz, 2006 fellow, was awarded an educational minigrant from the West Seneca East Senior High School Parent Teacher Group. The grant is in support of a project to incorporate technology into science laboratory classes, allowing students to model how scientists document laboratory work in the real world. Borowicz teaches biology and chemistry at West Seneca East High School in West Seneca.

Eva Doyle, 1986 fellow, recently published Warren Gamaliel Harding — One of America's Black Presidents. In the years since she participated in the summer institute, Doyle has written nine books and more than 3,000 articles on the contributions of African Americans to our society and to the world. Doyle, who taught prekindergarten through junior high school for 28 years in the Buffalo Public Schools, is now a consultant in black history education for the school system's African American history program. She also writes a newspaper column for the Buffalo Criterion, the oldest Black newspaper in Western New York.

Linda Drajem, 1987 fellow, published her essay "Let's focus on loving all of God's people" in My View, the Buffalo News, January 3, 2009. Drajem is a retired English teacher from the Buffalo Public Schools and Buffalo State College.

Maria Larcara, 1994 fellow, published her article "Expand Your Career Horizons as an Adjunct Online Instructor" in the December 2008 issue of the eLearning Guild's Learning Solutions e-Magazine. Lucara is an online writing and literature instructor for a number of colleges.

Mark Pogodzinski, 2002 fellow, published his first novel, Flashes and Specks (CreateSpace, 2008). Pogodzinski is an English teacher at Frontier High School in Hamburg.

Ohio

Columbus Area Writing Project

Nancy Mellin McCracken coauthored "Designing a Writing Retreat and Building Site Leadership on a Small Budget," published on the NWP website, with Barb Smith (NWP at Kent State). McCracken was founding director of National Writing Project at Kent State University from 1997 to 2006 and now works with the Columbus Area Writing Project.

National Writing Project at Kent State University

Jessica Deniakis-Rishel, 2004 fellow, was awarded National Board Certification in English Language Arts, 2008. Rishel teaches 11th grade American literature at the Trumbull Career and Technical Center in Warren.

Barbara Simons Smith, 2000 fellow, coauthored "Designing a Writing Retreat and Building Site Leadership on a Small Budget" with Nancy Mellin McCracken, founding director (1997–2006; she now works with Ohio's Columbus Area Writing Project). Smith taught grades 5–8 at Western Reserve Middle School in Berlin Center for 32 years. She retired in June 2008.

Darla Wagner, 1997 fellow, and Jeff Harr, 2007 fellow, published "Hooked on YA Lit! A Book Group for Teachers and Librarians" in Voice of Youth Advocates (December 2008). Wagner is assistant principal at Orchard Middle School in Solon. Harr teaches English at Kent Roosevelt High School in Kent. 

Jennifer Walker, 2001 fellow, was named 2009 Teacher of the Year by the Ohio State Department of Education. Walker teaches English at East High School in Youngstown.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Writing Project

Claudia Swisher, 1999 fellow, has received the Oklahoma Medal of Excellence for secondary education—the primo award for career teachers in Oklahoma. Swisher teaches English and Reading for Pleasure at Norman North High School in Norman, Oklahoma.

Oregon

Oregon WP at Willamette University

Lorelei Gilmore, 2000 fellow, and Christine Haskell, 1996 fellow, won the Crystal Apple Award. Presented by the Salem-Keizer Education Foundation in collaboration with the Salem-Keizer School District and the Salem and Keizer Chambers of Commerce, the Crystal Apple Awards celebrate and recognize those teachers, administrators, and support staff that exceed all expectations of their profession and who engage community in their work. Gilmore is principal at Four Corners Elementary School in Salem, and Haskell is a first grade teacher at Salem Heights Elementary School in Salem.

Also nominated for the Crystal Apple Award were Chris Allen, 1997 fellow, a social science teacher at North Salem High School in Salem, and Amy Tipelin, 2004 fellow, a fourth grade teacher and literacy coach at Clear Lake Elementary School in Salem.

Pennsylvania

Southcentral Pennsylvania Writing Project

Carol Livingston, 1993 fellow, and her high school administrators Kelly Martin (principal) and Eric Mineweaser (vice principal) have coauthored "Making a Difference . . . One Student at a Time," about their school's anti-bullying efforts. The article appears in the February 2009 issue of the Pennsylvania Administrator, a publication for school principals. Livingston teaches English, reading, study skills, and mythology at Eisenhower Middle High School in the Warren County School District in northwest Pennsylvania.

Helen Sitler, director and 1998 fellow, published "Teaching With Awareness: The Hidden Effects of Trauma on Learning" in the January/February 2009 issue of the Clearing House. Sitler teaches composition and works with English Education student teachers at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, Pennsylvania.

South Carolina

Santee-Wateree Writing Project

Lucy K. Spence, 2001 fellow, published "Generous Reading: Discovering Dialogic Voices in Writing" in English in Education 42 (3), 253–268. Spence is an assistant professor in language and literacy at the University of South Carolina.

Virginia

Appalachian Writing Project

Rebecca Elswick, 2006 fellow, published her story "The Silver Christmas Tree" in Christmas Blooms (Mountain Girl Press, 2008). Mountain Girl Press publishes fiction that celebrates the wit, humor, and strength of Appalachian women. Elswick teaches English at Grundy High School in Grundy.