22 May 2021

Foundation Grants Continue to Reap Benefits for National History Day Work – Social Studies Teachers Recognized for Outstanding Instruction

Bronxville High School teachers Kris Hart, Dana Landesman and Christina Reidel have been awarded Certificates of Excellence by National History Day, a non-profit education organization. They were recognized for their outstanding instruction in historical inquiry, persistence during an unprecedented school year and dedication to their students exploring this year’s topic. 

Hart, Landesman and Reidel have been leading ninth and 10th graders in conducting extensive, original research on historical topics of interest, focused on this year’s theme of “Communication in History: The Key to Understanding.” Through the program, students display their work in one of five ways — paper, website, documentary, performance or exhibit — and compete against students from across the country.

“We love this program and seeing what it has done for our students,” Landesman said. “This work connects to much that we value – strong research skills, authentic student voice and an opportunity to advance diversity and equity in education through student choice. Independent thinking develops in spaces where students’ ideas are listened to, respected and given structure.” 

While the pandemic has provided challenges and opportunities, the teachers and students have remained committed to their historical research. Throughout the school year, students met virtually for meetings outside of the classroom, relied on digitized collections for research and conducted virtual interviews with experts on their topics. 

“History is present in all that we do and all that we are,” Reidel said. “Understanding history allows us to make more sense of the world we are living in. Given the challenges of the past year, this seems more crucial than ever.” 

In addition, the teachers have been committed to their own professional development by taking related graduate courses, presenting at professional conferences and working with other teachers from across the state. 

 “An on-going and critical self-reflection of our classroom practice and continued professional development has allowed us to foster an environment that reflects the principles in the Bronxville Promise,” Hart said.

Principal Ann Meyer said she is thrilled that Hart, Landesman and Reidel were recognized for their outstanding work with students. 

“They have been dedicated to fostering historical thinking skills and engaging students in topics they are passionate about and committed to exploring,” Meyer said. “Teaching in a pandemic has been challenging to say the least and to see the outstanding accomplishments of our students is a testament to the unwavering support these teachers have given in the midst of difficult circumstances.” 

Now in its sixth year, the National History Day program was introduced to Bronxville by Landesman and Reidel after they attended the National Council for Social Studies Conference. Since then, an increasing number of students have won awards in the regional, state and national competitions. Special thanks to the Bronxville School Foundation for funding the teachers’ attendance and continuing to support students by providing them with the opportunity to work with performance coaching experts to enhance their presentation skills.

Helena McSherryFoundation Grants Continue to Reap Benefits for National History Day Work – Social Studies Teachers Recognized for Outstanding Instruction
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Teachers and Students of World Language Fellows Cohort Present at Regional Foreign Language Conference

Bronxville High School teachers Denise Flood and Toby Gillen and a group of students presented their work on foreign language curriculum during the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, held virtually on April 27.  
 
During the conference, Flood and Gillen discussed how the foreign language department designed a thematic unit across the 6-12 continuum, which allows students to analyze evidence of the complex nature of the concept of “home,” including geographic, economic, religious, power and gender influences. Flood said she hoped attendees gained skills to construct and implement a reimagined, vertically aligned unit of study. 
 
“In transforming a common thread, such as the home, we hope that other educators find their own means to engage all language learners through authentic cultural experiences and texts, as well as through receiving feedback from authentic audiences,” she said. “The unit was vertically aligned, 6-12, so the hope is that this could serve as a model for other disciplines to connect their units across the grade levels, create a portfolio, and, as a culminating experience, to share their growth in knowledge, understanding and complexity of the concept over time.” 
 
As a capstone project, students design a reflective portfolio demonstrating their growth in language over time and their deepening understanding of the concept of home. This scaffolded, thematic approach embraces technology and encourages reflection, metacognition and critical thinking. Bronxville High School juniors Elizabeth Burnell, Lucy Clark, Rory Denning, Teresa Markola, Shay Sipple and Alice Vranka also presented during the conference. Sipple said the conference provided the students with a platform to share their projects and an opportunity to share their interest in foreign languages.  
 
“It was great to be able to see how the theme of ‘home’ was utilized not only throughout my years in French, but also in Latin and Spanish classes in different ways,” Burnell said. “This experience also gave me a greater appreciation for the preparation and creativity that goes into creating an effective language curriculum.” 
 
The six students are part of the World Language Fellows cohort, which was created thanks to a generous grant from the Bronxville School Foundation. The two-year-long, advanced, interdisciplinary program was designed for students to engage more deeply in solving real-world global challenges and connect with the larger community of global scholars.  
 
Over the past few years, Flood and Gillen have presented on foreign language curriculum and technology topics at national, regional and local conferences, including the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Conference, the AP National Annual Conference, the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers conference, the New York State Education Department conference, the Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES Tech Expo and The New York State Association for Computers and Technologies in Education conference. The annual Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages was designed to provide world language educators with professional development and the chance to interact with colleagues. 

Helena McSherryTeachers and Students of World Language Fellows Cohort Present at Regional Foreign Language Conference
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