Headshot of Wendy Smith, a current fifth-grade teacher at Larry J. Macaluso Elementary School. Credit: Provided
After a long day teaching fifth-grade language arts and social studies in the Red Lion Area School District during the 2020-2021 school year, Wendy Smith sat down to plan her next social studies unit: the Civil War. She tried to focus, but local and national headlines about polarizing current events swirled in her head. How should she approach this difficult historical topic? Did she need to avoid certain phrases and/or resources? Even as a teacher with more than 33 years of experience, she felt unsure.
When Penn State alumni Vic and Dena Hammel of Wyomissing joined our Initiative early last year, they quickly elevated our operation. They began by contributing $450,000 to set up our Eastern Hub at Penn State Berks. At the same time, Vic, former Ehrlich Pest Control CEO and co-owner, helps lead our development efforts and mentors me on the business and marketing sides of our work.
Initiative Director Boaz Dvir discusses Holocaust education and professional learning with Lead Team members and K-12 teachers in Pittsburgh. Credit: Madison Roos
In the past year, we’ve begun teaming up with Pennsylvania school districts to help educators effectively teach difficult topics and meet their students’ needs through a trauma-informed lens. As a starting point in these exciting collaborations, we work with our partners to customize professional learning (PL) programs to achieve district goals.
Guadalupe Kasper serves on the faculty at Penn State Berks as Lecturer in Education and Program Manager for the Penn State Educational Partnership Program (PEPP). Credit: Provided
Guadalupe Kasper includes an excerpt from Sonia Sanchez’ “Poem for July 4, 1994” in her email signature. She uses it to guide and inspire her work in education in communities around Reading. “I see so much incredible potential here in Berks County,” she says.
Rowbee’C Kasisky, works from her office in Reading, Penn., where she serves as principal for 10th and Penn Elementary. Credit: Provided
“As a teacher, I knew I was affecting the 25 kids in my class, but I felt like I could do more,” says Rowbee’C Kasisky, principal at Reading’s 10th and Penn Elementary, “which is what led me to where I am now.”
The Initiative’s post-doctoral scholar, Logan Rutten (right), listens to participating Red Lion Area School District educators discuss their fall inquiries. Credit: Paris Palmer
On an unseasonably warm afternoon just before Winter Break, 20 educators in York County's Red Lion borough trickled into Red Lion Area Senior High School. Conversations about parent emails, COVID protocols, and end-of-semester grading filled the air. They stood in a circle for the afternoon's opening activity: sharing stories about some of the best gifts they'd ever received.
Red Lion’s Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Scott Deisley (left), and Chief Instructional Officer, Eric Wilson, forged a new partnership with the Initiative to support personalized professional learning. Credit: Provided
Five-thousand students attend public schools in Red Lion, a small town in southern Pennsylvania. But like many U.S. communities, its school district faces big challenges around difficult topics.
