At the Nov. 16 District 65 School Board meeting, Board members and Superintendent Paul Goren congratulated Jenna Temkin, a drama teacher at Chute Middle School, for having been selected to receive a Award Amount Fellowship from the National Artist Teacher Fellowship (NATF) program. Chute has also has been awarded a complementary grant of $1,500 to support her post-fellowship activities in the school.
Formerly known as the Surdna Arts Teachers Fellowship, the National Artist Teacher Fellowship program is a grant that supports the artistic revitalization of arts teachers, offering them the opportunity to immerse themselves in their own creative work, interact with other professional artists, and stay current with new practices.
Ms. Tempkin plans to use the money to work with English-language learners, many of whom are refugees from the Middle East and parts of Asia and Africa. Her allies will be advanced drama students at Chute, who will be staging a musical this spring for students in the feeder schools. “It will help bridge the gap,” she said, and when the students get to Chute, they will already know someone.”
Her interest in community-based theater took her to London this summer to work with Cardboard Citizens, a theater group that has been creating theater performances with and for homeless people for more than 20 years.
Dr. Goren also recognized the Evanston In-School Music Association, the District’s technology staff and the members of the School Board – the last in honor of School Board Members Day, Nov. 15.