Home » News Releases » 2009-2010 » April 15, 2010

Alexandria Teachers Selected to Participate in Summer Humanities Programs

---

Each year, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) offers opportunities for teachers to study in the United States and abroad in seminars, institutes and workshops. The NEH has announced that out of hundreds of applicants, three teachers at John Adams Elementary School and a teacher at the George Washington Middle School Campus have been selected to participate in programs this summer.

Justin Redpath-Dascola, Latin teacher at George Washington, has been selected as one of 16 participants in an upcoming NEH summer program hosted by the College of Notre Dame in Baltimore, Maryland. "Houses of Mortals and Gods" will compare the structures dedicated to the lives of mortals (houses, palaces) and gods (temples, altars) and will take place over two weeks in Baltimore and three weeks in the southern half of Italy. Participation includes a stipend to cover transportation and lodging costs.

Wendy Neidermeyer, John Adams third-grade teacher, will travel to Germany for four weeks to participate in an institute celebrating the 325th anniversary of the birth of Johann Sebastian Bach. While there, she will study with Bach scholars from around the world, including Peter Wollny, director of the Bach Archive in Leipzig. She will work with specialists to develop lesson plans for use in her classroom next year.

Katherine McGinn, John Adams third-grade teacher, will study in Vienna, Austria, for four weeks. Her institute, "Mozart's Worlds," will provide in-depth study of Mozart's German operas and their relationship to the art, literature, government and architecture of the 18th century.

Wes McCune, John Adams music teacher, will travel to Santa Fe for an institute on the colonization of the American southwest as it relates to American history. He will develop lesson plans as a part of the arts integration program at John Adams, which is a CETA affiliate partner school with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.