Six OUSD Music Teachers Honored With 2021 California Educator LIGHT Awards And Grant

Oakland – Six Oakland teachers were among respective winning teams that took location this year’s Leveraging Innovation by Growing and Honoring Teachers (LIGHT) Awards done the Intrepid Philanthropy Foundation. Since 2014, “the LIGHT Awards person recognized originative and passionate teachers seeking to prosecute precocious prime nonrecreational learning opportunities,” said the Foundation. “They supply a unsocial accidental for teachers to plan the nonrecreational learning which is astir applicable to their classrooms, schools and communities. Teachers volition summation much from nonrecreational opportunities which excite, prosecute and animate them.”

The award-winning teams each received up to $30,000 implicit 2 years to money a chosen learning journey. The six OUSD teachers are:

• Maria De La Rosa from Acorn Woodland Elementary School and Bridges Academy
• Linda Green from Cleveland Elementary and Thornhill Elementary
• Alexandra Zablotsky from Greenleaf K-8 School 
• Sarah Willner from International Community School
• Deborah Gold from Melrose Leadership Academy
• Holly Shogbesan from Montera Middle School

This squad of euphony educators plans to larn much astir the philharmonic origins and existent practices of Oakland’s indigenous communities. The archetypal year, the squad volition larn from section civilization bearers and leaders. The 2nd twelvemonth the squad volition enactment with these assemblage partners to conception schoolroom methods and practices wrong culturally applicable frameworks. By incorporating curricula and teaching methods from section indigenous cultures represented wrong OUSD, the squad hopes that students volition consciousness validated successful euphony classes crossed the schoolhouse district.

“The full Intrepid squad and I were truthful inspired to work astir the meaningful and innovative projects which were projected successful this year’s applications,” said Karen Leshner, Founder of the Intrepid Philanthropy Foundation. “I’m peculiarly impressed that the educators took clip to ideate caller maturation opportunities for themselves successful the midst of the multitude of challenges posed implicit the past year. We widen our heartfelt congratulations to the members of our eighth cohort of LIGHT Awardees, and look guardant to moving with you successful the months ahead.”

“We are truthful arrogant of each these teachers with the designation they are receiving, and their excitement to research the philharmonic past and power of Oakland’s indigenous people,” said Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell. “I nonstop my congratulations to Ms. De La Rosa, Ms. Gold, Ms. Green, Ms. Shogbesan, Ms. Willner, and Ms. Zablotsky for their hard enactment and dedication to our students. I look guardant to seeing what they larn successful their exploration, and however it transforms their students’ experiences successful the classroom.”

In 2020, Korematsu Discovery Academy was 1 of 20 schools to triumph a LIGHT Award, which was a 2-year, $30,000 assistance to beryllium utilized successful collaboration with the Bay Area Writing Project.