The
17th Annual Core Knowledge Conference
From
Harlem to Orient: HEROES Converge and Emerge
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From
Harlem to Orient (Washington, that is), The Raoul Wallenberg
Committee of The United States and its HEROES program
were well represented at The Core Knowledge Conference.
Diane Blake (RWC Director of Research
and former Vice-Chairman of the RWC Board) and Dr.
Kathleen Dunlevy Morin (RWC Director of Education
and co-developer of HEROES) flew to Anaheim directly from
New York City. Soon thereafter, Patrice Ricciotti
Morgan (Principal of The Harlem Day Charter School)
arrived ready to share how HEROES has been used for years
at her school. Out of the Great Lakes region, Dr.
Robyn Fischer Lovinger (RWC’s Director
of Operations) winged her way westward from Cleveland.
Emerging from the dramatic and beautiful remote, rural
recesses of Washington State, Tara Holmes
(Principal, The Orient School District) and Heather
Alexander (Teacher, The Orient School) came armed
with superb and creative samples of their students’
HEROES work. Unfortunately, this year, a key team member
and co-developer of HEROES, Rachel Oestreicher
Bernheim (RWC Chairman) remained, by necessity,
in North Carolina.
Toasting
Rachel Oestreicher Bernheim are (from left to right)
Diane Blake, Kathy Morin, Patrice Ricciotti Morgan,
Heather Alexander, and Tara Holmes at the Speakers Dinner.
Photographer: Robyn Fischer Lovinger
Enticing Exhibits; Gala Gatherings; and Scholarly Sessions
Thursday, November 20th
Before
leaving their Core Knowledge Foundation offices in Charlottesville,
Virginia, Karen Baggiano, Conference Director, and JoAnne
Spitale, Conference and Exhibits Coordinator, had nailed
down every detail required for a smooth running conference.
They were on hand to extend a very warm welcome to each
and every participant.
Enticing Exhibits
The
HEROES quilt made by students at PS 145 in Manhattan,
one of the HEROES pilot schools
Diane
Blake, Kathy Morin, and Patrice Riciotti Morgan
display students' work. Photographer: Tara Holmes
Gala
Gatherings
Following a festive Conference Reception at The Marriott
in the evening, the HEROES team joined other invitees
on a short ride to The Lincoln Theater at Disneyland for
a gala Speakers Dinner. Annually, the Speakers Dinner
is a Conference highlight. Renowned for its delicious
food and remarkable venues year after year, the Speakers
Dinner has afforded opportunities to renew a special sense
of community among all Conference speakers and the Core
Knowledge officers and staff.
Speakers at the dinner included Dr. E. D. Hirsch, Jr.,
Founder of The Core Knowledge Foundation and current Chairman
of its Board of Trustees; Ted Hirsch, Vice Chairman of
the Board of Trustees of the Core Knowledge Foundation;
and Linda Bevilacqua, President of the Core Knowledge
Foundation. What a great start to the Conference!
At
the Speakers Dinner, (l to r, seated) Patrice Ricciotti
Morgan,
Heather Alexander, Tara Holmes; (standing) Robyn Fischer
Lovinger, Kathy Morin,
and friend Sheila Gersh, Professor at City College of
the City University of New York.
Photographer: Diane Blake
Scholarly
Sessions
Friday, November 21st
Friday
morning came early, and from dawn to dusk, the HEROES
team was in perpetual motion. To a standing-room audience,
Kathy, Diane, Patrice, and Robyn presented a session entitled
“HEROES to the Core: Building Character, Caring,
Civility and More through Curriculum Content.”
Emphasis was on how the easy-to-use 1800+ page instructional
resource, A STUDY OF HEROES, can easily be adapted to
meet the standards and instructional needs of virtually
any educational setting. HEROES builds academic skills
while developing character in students of all ages (K-12,
Adult). The youngest students using HEROES are a class
of three-year-olds at The Western Pennsylvania School
for the Deaf in Pittsburgh. The oldest student is a 91
year-old “lifer” in a maximum security prison
in New Jersey. (HEROES is used in all adult prisons under
the aegis of the New Jersey Department of Corrections
for both GED preparation and character education.)
Attendees
at the session were treated to: the Wallenberg story told
by Diane; a ‘whirlwind tour’ of HEROES instructional
strategies by Kathy; concrete, and often touching, examples
of Harlem Day Charter School students’ HEROES activities
by Patrice; and the HEROES tee-shirt modeled by Robyn
Fischer Lovinger!
Summing
up such Conference experiences, Patrice Ricciotti Morgan
observed:
“Being
part of the team that presented HEROES to Core was an
absolute privilege. When I think about the importance
of having young minds develop into critical thinkers I
am reminded of the importance of sharing knowledge. HEROES
encourages just this -- the materials needed to provide
learners of all ages with the information that they need
to develop and the resources with how to share the information.
Being at Core and sharing this resource is so invigorating.”
Patrice
Ricciotti Morgan at a recent
Core Knowledge Conference.
Photographer: Kathy Morin
In
the afternoon, a Roundtable Discussion Group focused on
the natural interface between HEROES and Character Education.
This session was led by Kathy with invaluable input from
Diane and Patrice. Coming from a diversity of school settings,
participants spoke openly and passionately about the successes
of, and problems with, character education in their own
school settings. All were touched by issues raised and
the depth of concern and commitment shown by the teachers
who attended this session. In part, it was the power of
this session, which led Diane later to reflect that:
“Having just returned from the Core Knowledge
Conference, I still feel the afterglow. Never have I come
across such caring and gifted people. As a parent, I couldn't
stop thinking how lucky these children are to have teachers
like these. For the first time in my life, I wished I
was a teacher too. Bravo to all the wonderful people at
Core Knowledge.”
Saturday, November 22, 2008
As
the Conference came to its conclusion, the full HEROES
team assembled one more time to participate in “Understanding
Heroism One Student and One Day at a Time: A Panel Discussion”
moderated by Karen Baggiano, Conference Director. Diane
again shared the story of Raoul Wallenberg. Kathy and
Patrice, with the assistance of Robyn, presented highlights
from HEROES. Tara Holmes and Heather Alexander discussed
how The Orient School in Washington State has creatively
adopted HEROES and displayed content-rich students’
projects and reports. The contrasts between the HEROES
implementation in Patrice’s inner-city school and
in Tara and Heather’s small, rural school gave testament
to HEROES ease-of-use in diverse settings. Perhaps most
significantly, this session demonstrated how, through
A STUDY OF HEROES, students not only recognize the difference
between the concepts of “hero” and “celebrity,”
but also identify and appreciate the real heroes in their
own families, schools, and communities as well as discover
“the hero within themselves.”
Fond Farewells; Positive Post-Mortems; & Planning
for 2009
For the remainder
of the weekend, it was a time for farewells, reflection,
and anticipation for next year’s Core Knowledge
Conference!
As
Conference participants and organizers headed home, many
had the opportunity to reflect while gazing down from
airplane windows upon: the twinkling holiday lights festooning
swaying palm trees; the relentless surf pounding Pacific
coastline; the majesty of lofty California hills; and
the dazzle of Disneyland.
Perhaps
Karen Baggiano, Conference Director, best summed up the
emotions felt by all:
“I
look forward to attending the conference next year and
hope that Core Knowledge becomes a curriculum that is
used in more and more schools and districts nationwide.
All of the workshops I attended were “right-on.”
The experience was awesome. This was a very special and
unique experience to be among so many educators who understand
the art of teaching and enjoy the process and the interaction
with young learners …. I loved everything I did
there …. (The Conference) was both extremely informative
and inspiring.”
Karen
Baggiano, Director, The Core Knowledge Conference &
Dr. Dennis Denenberg, "Hooray For Heroes" Speaker
and Author.Photographer: Kathy Morin
FOOTNOTES
** What is Core Knowledge? According to its own web site
( www.coreknowledge.org
) it is an ‘educational reform movement’ premised
on the conviction that ‘a grade-by-grade core of
common learning is necessary to ensure a sound and fair
elementary education’. Developing a culturally literate
society is evidently at the ‘core’ of it all.
The Father of the Core Knowledge Movement, which was founded
in 1986, is Professor E.D. Hirsch, Jr.
Since 1999, A STUDY OF HEROES , has been featured annually
in both workshops and exhibits at Core Knowledge National
Conferences. As a result, Core Knowledge Schools across
the nation have joined the ranks of the many diverse educational
programs and organizations currently using and enjoying
HEROES.
On
Thursday afternoon, the Exhibit Hall had its Grand Opening.
The HEROES “booth” was, as always, a real
‘eye-catcher! Its colorful, upbeat, content-rich
displays not only reflected the heart and soul of the
STUDY OF HEROES program but also lured Exhibit Hall visitors
to ‘come on in and stay awhile’. Bedecked
with colorful samples of students’ work, instructional
materials, and our hallmark HEROES Quilt (made by one
of our elementary level pilot schools), the booth provided
a “busy” haven for participants. It was a
great spot to share, promote and market HEROES. Diane,
who is one of the world’s experts on Wallenberg,
was available to tell the Wallenberg story explaining
how HEROES serves as the RWC’s ‘living monument’
to Raoul Wallenberg, our nation’s Third Honorary
Citizen. Kathy provided “mini-tours” of the
abundant HEROES instructional resources. HEROES displays
and the Wallenberg story combined to captivate one and
all who stopped by the booth. As we have seen many times,
the stories of real heroes are “gifts to be shared”
and have the inherent power to change people’s lives.
We hoped that those who visited the HEROES booth share
the stories with their families and school communities
back home.
In
the April/May 2005 issue (vol. 17 #4) of Common Knowledge
Core Knowledge’s newsletter, HEROES was introduced
as a ‘marvelous product’ to add to Core’s
resource list. The newsletter’s descriptive recommendation
noted that HEROES is an ‘educational and inspirational
endeavor, one that is very well aligned to the Core Knowledge
curriculum and values. In a culture bombarded with celebrity
worship, this program helps children to distinguish between
being a celebrity and being a hero … All of the
units feature excellent material to incorporate into character
building programs, social studies and language arts.’