ResourcesWILLIAM SMITH HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER AWARDED FUND FOR TEACHERS GRANT
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NEWS RELEASE # 62
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2009
WILLIAM SMITH HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER AWARDED
FUND FOR TEACHERS GRANT
William Smith Ninth grade social studies teacher Lucas Newman has been named a recipient of a prestigious Fund for Teachers grant. The fund provides teachers with the means to develop personally and professionally through self-designed programs of exploration and study. Beginning this June, Lucas will go on two trips in order to study two collapsed American civilizations-the Anasazi and the Maya. His goal is to answer the following questions: Why do some civilizations collapse? How do choices about natural resource use affect the long-term prospects of a culture? Is our own culture in danger of collapse?
The Fund for Teachers grant encourages learning through experiencing and studying areas of personal interest. In June, Lucas will embark on a road trip to the four corners region, including visiting Chaco Canyon National Monument in New Mexico and Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. His second tour will take place at the end of June, when he will travel to Guatemala to visit the Museo Litico, the Museo de Escultura and the Museo Nacional de Arqueologia y Etnologia, in addition to other sites.
Lucas’ goal is to be the voice of these ancient civilizations and to share with his students’ details that can only be gained through active involvement and exposure to the culture. “I want my students to hear first-hand accounts of soaring pyramids in dense jungles and mysterious kivas surrounded by harsh desert,” he said. “I want my students to examine artifacts and see up close pictures that may inspire them. I want to expertly help my students find answers to the questions they will start to ask as the look critically at their own time, place and choices.”
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Interested media may contact WSHS Community Relations Director Tricia Downing at 303.326.2008 for more information
APS Communication Department
Georgia Durán, Chief Communication Officer
303-365-7805
FAX: 303-326-1939
e-mail: grduran@aps.k12.co.us
http://www.aps.k12.co.us/communications
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