This spring, the Brookline, Massachusetts-based international educational non-profit Facing History and Ourselves awarded $40,000 dollars to fund 20 innovative, cutting-edge classroom projects around the world, including $3,000 for high school teacher John Morris, at Shaker Heights High School in Shaker Heights, Ohio.
Morris will collaborate with Kent State University professor David Hassler to bring the play "May 4th Voices: Kent State 1970" into American history, literature, and theater courses at Shaker Heights High School, as well as into Facing History classrooms in schools throughout the Cleveland area. The play investigates different voices and viewpoints from this violent moment in American history, examining the roles of both bystanders and upstanders and the history of social protest in the United States. The play will be staged for students and the wider Cleveland community, with help from Facing History staff and educators.
About the Margot Stern Strom Innovation Grants:
The Innovation Grants were established in 2006 but reintroduced this year with a focus on technological innovation and collaborative learning. Each year, Facing History will review the previous year’s award winners and their projects. At the end of the year, one grand prize finalist will receive $5,000 to continue their work. To learn more and to view a complete listing of winners visit: http://www.facinghistory.org/margot-stern-strom-innovation-grants.
About Facing History and Ourselves:
Facing History and Ourselves was created in 1976 by Brookline, Massachusetts, by educators who believed that instilling intellectual vigor and curiosity goes hand-in-hand with teaching facts and figures. We provide training, professional development, and resources that support the practical needs, and the spirits, of educators worldwide who share the goal of creating a better, more informed, and more thoughtful society. With 10 offices around the globe, we reach more than two million students each year through our worldwide network of more than 29,000 trained educators. To learn more, visit: http://www.facinghistory.org/.