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SSCHOOL CHOOL LIFE LIFE www.gazette.net
VOICES IN EDUCATION n Age: 31
Hilarie Hall
n Job title: Second-grade teacher n Hometown: Scranton, Pa.
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Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Tell me about your teaching career, how long have you been teaching?
This is my sixth year teaching, it is a second career for me. I was a project manager at a research firm in Boston. It was exciting and it was challenging, it was a fun kind of life but I felt called to go back to teaching.
When had you taught before?
n Education: Bachelor of science in marketing with minor in art history, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Mass. Master’s degree in elementary education, American University, Washington, D.C.
In summers while I was in college I worked at an Arts Alive camp — it was great.
Why did you decide to teach second grade?
n Family: Husband, Matt; daughters, Matilda, 3, and Tessa, 19 months
[The students] are engaged, enthusiastic, fearless. They are not afraid to tell you what they are thinking. They are creative thinkers and they are open.
n Hobbies: Reading, writing, hiking, nostalgically following all Bostonbased professional sports teams n Lesson to live by: “Work smarter, not harder.” — Carl Barks, creator of Scrooge McDuck
I understand you were awarded a grant for $2,000
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Page B-7 argument. Not only is it reading and writing and the study of history, but we use engineering skills to create a mini trebuchet, a type of medieval catapult. The only rule is you can’t aim it at anyone. They also do the inside of a castle.
from ING as one of their Unsung Heroes in Education. How did that come about?
I applied for the grant because I believe STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Math] education is the most important change in education in the last 40 years. STEM is bringing back the excitement in education, allowing children to be innovative, creative, thinking. The grant will enable me to have an inventory of equipment for the entire lower school to use: reusable materials like child-safe tools and circuitry.
Are two special awards so close together unusual for you?
I like to challenge myself so I look for opportunities. I say, ‘hey, why not,’ it keeps things interesting. I love networking with professional educators. I have a blog and I love for educators to have their own voice. People who are putting blogs out are truly proud of what they do and I like to read what other people are doing.
The Consortium for the Teaching of the Middle Ages honored you with the 2013 Annual Teaching Prize in the K-8 category for your lesson “Anatomy of a Castle.” Can you tell me about that?
What do you like best about teaching?
I like learning alongside the kids. I don’t think I could teach
This brings in my STEM
anywhere if I couldn’t respond to thinkers around me. The teachers in this building are great, but working with the kids keeps you going. Is there anything that would make you want to leave teaching?
I think I’m excited about the idea of a fellowships. I wouldn’t want to leave teaching but I’d like to do a fellowship. There are definitely days you feel under-appreciated, but there’s never been a day where I wanted to give it all up. “Voices in Education” is a twice-monthly feature that highlights the men and women who are involved with the education of Montgomery County’s children. To suggest someone you would like to see featured email Peggy McEwan at pmcewan@gazette.net.
EDUCATION NOTEBOOK Student DJ wows the crowds Alex Young, a junior at Walter Johnson High School in
Bethesda, expects a busy year. In June, he was listed in Vibe magazine’s Top 25 Dance Music DJs Under 25 This Year, which opened new opportunities for him to entertain with his DJ prowess. “It’s super cool,” he said. “I make up my own music and I think that’s what impresses people.” Alex, 16, said he started taking guitar lessons when he was about 8, then added drums and, as he got older, played in a couple of local bands with friends. He began entertaining as a DJ only about two years ago after attending a DJ camp at Bach to Rock music school. “I ended up being more interested in the product of the work rather than the song,” he said. “You don’t really play. It’s more like cueing” into the music. This summer he performed at several venues in several states. The coolest, he said, was a three-day rave festival in Las Vegas. “I got to play in one night of the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas,” he said. “It was about 400,000 kids and they had the best sound and lighting.” Now that school has started, Alex said he is allowed to accept gigs only on weekends, but that makes him more determined to do well in school and, maybe, graduate early. As of right now, he said, the plan is to put college on hold and take advantage of the opportunities his musical talent open up to him. “He has a very unique style. He composes his own music, performs and plays,” said Danny Kang, Alex’s manager at Megahousemusic. “In this day and age, DJs have turned into artists. They are releasing music under their own name.”
PHOTO FROM DANNY KANG
“It’s super cool,” says DJ Alex Young, a junior at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda. “I make up my own music and I think that’s what impresses people.”
Kang said Alex’s music is way beyond what a 16-year-old who just started usually produces. “I think he’s blessed with a special gift,” Kang said. A sample of Alex’s work can be found online at iamalexyoung.com.
Edison students compete in national competition Fifteen students from
Thomas Edison High School of Technology in Silver Spring
participated in SkillsUSA’s 49th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City, Mo., June 24-29. The team earned one gold medal and three students placed in the top 10 in their categories. The top-ranking students all graduated from Edison programs in June. To qualify for the national competition, the students won local, regional and state competitions. Amanda Ross, a student in the print technologies and digital graphics program, won the gold medal in the T-shirt design competition. Zachary Johns, also in the print technologies and digital graphics program, earned seventh place in the pin design competition. William Gonzalez of the carpentry program
earned ninth place in the carpentry competition, and Jorge Canart, a student in the automotive services program, earned 10th place in the customer service competition. Representing Edison in the entrepreneurship competition were Jesse Bruce, restaurant management; Rabby Mertus and Anthony Scarano, print technology and digital graphics; and Felix Ubiera, network operations. April Johnson and Alexis Wilson, both interior design interns, and Patrick Whittaker, carpentry, competed in the community service competition. Jessica Sanchez, academy of hospitality and tourism, competed in the employment application competition. Cindy Gomez, network operations, competed in the technical computer application competition. Yesenia Sanchez, nail program, competed in the nail care competition with Janice Martinez-Delcid, cosmetology, as her model. SkillsUSA, a national nonprofit, is a partnership of students, teachers and industry that tries to prepare students for careers in trade, technical and skilled service jobs, including health occupations.
September is Library Card Sign-up Month September is Library Card Sign-up Month and Montgomery County Public Libraries is reminding residents of all ages that a library card is the smartest card to have and it’s free. Library cards are the key to many experiences: reading favorite books, researching subjects, learning a new language, acquiring a new skill, listening to music and watching a movie, according to the county agency. To get a card for immediate use, residents can visit a local library, show a photo ID and proof of residency, and com-
plete an application. Applications also are available online at www.montgomerycountymd. gov/library.
Make a strike for student scholarships Bowling for Young Scholars, the Barge Family Foundation’s inaugural fundraiser, will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 6 at 300 Shady Grove Bowlmor Lanes, 15720 Shady Grove Road, Gaithersburg. The Barge Family Foundation is a nonprofit in Montgomery County that gives financial need scholarships to children between the ages of 10 and 16 who express an interest in science, math, engineering, finance, business or entrepreneurship. Scholarships are offered to children throughout the Washington, D.C., area. Bowling for Young Scholars will include food, bowling and door prizes. Cost is $40. All proceeds will benefit the Barge Family Foundation scholarship fund. To register visit thebargefamilyfoundation.org/events.
Student-musicians mark March on Washington In honor of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, young violinists and guitarists led by music teacher Ken Giles presented a concert Aug. 25 at the Gazebo in Takoma Park. The students performed songs from the civil rights era such as “We Shall Overcome,” “We Shall Not Be Moved,” and “Oh Freedom.” Giles said he was a U.S. Senate page in 1965 when the Voting Rights Act was passed. “It was a very powerful experience,” he said. “I remember thinking,’Oh, my gosh, society is changing.’” He said many of the students did not know about the songs when he started teaching
them, but they learned their history while learning the music. Aiden Keyes, 16, of Takoma Park, who is a junior at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, said she knew about the March on Washington because her parents thought it important for her to know. “My dad really loves history, especially black history,” she said. Aiden played violin at the concert. She said she wrote a column for the Blair online newspapaper about the 10 demands of the 1963 march. Among them is that the nation should have adequate, integrated education, she said. “There are still a lot of problems getting adequate education,” Aiden said. “Schools are kind of segregated, but I think it has to do with self-segregation because Montgomery County is so diverse.”
Students recognized as Unsung Heroes The Creig Northrop Team of Long & Foster Real Estate recognized 12 high school students in Howard, Carroll and Montgomery counties as Unsung Heroes for their volunteer service, commitment to community and personal character demonstrated through selflessness, strength and resilience. Five of the students were from Montgomery County Public Schools. Allison Nadler of Winston Churchill High School in Potomac serves people with special needs through organizations including Bowling Buddies and Friends at Home. Oumou Diallo of Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring fled Guinea to avoid an arranged marriage when she was 14. She has given hundreds of hours of community service, including raising money and awareness for better education in Africa.
Richie Yarrow of Richard Montgomery High School in
Rockville is the recording secretary for the Montgomery County Council Parent-Teacher Association. Yarrow is the youngest officer by nearly 30 years.
Michael Jan Linsangan Torres of Poolesville High School
helps lead his school’s antibullying group, Help Everyone Respect Others.
Samantha GonzalezCordero of Albert Einstein High School in Kensington helped
lead the first Washington, D.C., Asian Pacific-America Youth Summit. The students have overcome “unique obstacles and given countless hours to helping people in need,” Creig Northrop, president of the agency, said in a statement. The students are “our future business and community leaders, and we’re proud to recognize them.” Northrop began the Unsung Hero program in 2003 to acknowledge students whose work in the community may have gone unnoticed.
Sports Plus seeks volunteers Sports Plus, a nonprofit that offers coed sports programs for children with mild to moderate autism spectrum and other developmental disabilities, seeks volunteers to help coaches with activities and provide encouragement to the young athletes. Current weekend programs with volunteer openings include a soccer and track and field program in Germantown and swim programs in Gaithersburg. Students interested in volunteering must be 14 or older. For more information, contact volunteer coordinators Diane Golden at golden4@ comcast.net or Suzy Kennedy at susan.kennedy@jhuapl.edu. More information is at www.playsportsplus.org.
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