Press Releases

Second Annual Bob Costas Grants for the Teaching of Writing

01/31/07

Six teachers have been awarded the second annual College Board Bob Costas Grants for the Teaching of Writing, the College Board announced today. The grants are in recognition of the innovative methods these teachers use to inspire and develop their students’ writing skills. The award was created to support teachers and to thank Bob Costas, the Emmy Award–winning broadcaster and author, for his generous public service work on behalf of the National Commission on Writing and his dedication to the craft of writing. Each teacher will receive a grant of $2,000.

“These classroom teaching stars continue to inspire us. Their daily creative efforts energize young people and help them appreciate the lifelong rewards of learning to write well,” Costas said. “I am pleased to be associated with these teachers and their extraordinary contributions.”

One grant recipient was selected from each of the College Board’s six regions:

Southwestern Region: Pamela B. Cordova teaches seventh- and eighth-grade English at Mescalero Apache School, which is a Bureau of Indian Affairs grant school. Her grant will be used to help create a collection of biographies of the elder members of the Mescalero tribe, which will be written, edited, and published by her students. “The majority of our students come from homes where they do not have computers or telephones,” Cordova writes. “In order to compete with other students in this age group, our students need access to technology in the home as well as the school.” Funds will be used to purchase laptops that can be checked out by students at night. The school’s vice principal, Thurman Sanchez, says the collection “will create a sense of pride in each student for their unique cultural history, and it will give the elders the satisfaction of knowing that their knowledge has been handed down to future generations.”

Middle States Region: Timothy Adams is a teacher at W.E.B. DuBois Academic High School, a transfer alternative high school in Brooklyn, New York, for students who have experienced failure in the traditional public high school setting. He uses hip-hop music in his writing workshops to teach students about the literary techniques they need to understand to do well on state exams and other standardized tests. The school’s dean, Patricia Panetta, described Adams as “a breath of fresh air” who came to W.E.B. DuBois and embraced the students. “Mr. Adams has enticed many students who have had academic failure to completely turn around and become excited about learning,” writes Panetta.

Southern Region: Joseph W. Underwood has been teaching for 21 years at Miami Senior High School, where he built a television production studio by raising funds from the community. Students involved in the inner-city high school’s ARTEC (Arts Related Technology for Entertainment Careers) Academy collaborate to produce a daily live, 10-minute newscast that includes a Spanish-language segment for the school’s 3,200 students and staff. “I have learned a lot about values and hard work in the process of strengthening my writing skills,” one student writes. “The one thing I regret is not getting into this class earlier.”

New England Region: Kate Gardoqui teaches AP^® English Language and Composition and AP English Literature and Composition at Noble High School (NHS) in North Berwick, Maine, a state where a much higher percentage of students aspire to go to college than actually attend and graduate. For Gardoqui’s grant project, “Beyond Graduation,” students will take an investigative approach to understanding what it really takes to attend and succeed in college. Then they will combine their interviews with research on college readiness and five years of NHS data to produce a collection of magazine-like articles. Gardoqui describes the work as a service-learning project for the community, since many young people would be the first in their family to attend college. “She exposed us to the real deal,” one student says. “Writers in the real world, which inspired me by learning that this was a real career choice.”

Midwestern Region: Melissa Handler, a seventh- and eighth-grade English teacher at Scott Highlands Middle School in Apple Valley, Minnesota, was looking for a new way to encourage creative writing at her school aside from the typical literary magazine. Together with her principal, they conceived the Wall of Words (WOW), a prominent wall in the school dedicated to displaying student writing and artwork. Since middle school students are so visual, Handler explained, the initial “wow factor” draws kids to the project and brings more students into her creative writing activity. Principal Dan Wilharber says the project is “sure to make our school a better school where kids feel they can share their thoughts and where they can see the power of great writing.”

Western Region: Mary L. Richards is a high school English teacher at Eagle River High School in Eagle River, Alaska, 15 miles northeast of Anchorage. She is using the power of the Internet to connect teachers and students from across the state through her “e-zine,” Northern Lit, which publishes teacher and student writing. A member of the Alaska State Writing Consortium, Richards says she uses digital storytelling to celebrate and preserve the indigenous Native Alaskan way of sharing stories. Because many of her students have parents deployed in Iraq, she hopes that by publishing these digital stories online parents overseas will also be able to view their children’s work. “What I like about Ms. Richards’s class is that books are not the only things we explore,” writes one student. “She also incorporates DVD and MP3 presentations, and I especially enjoy listening to speakers addressing contemporary issues that tie directly to our reading. . . . Her dedication to literature inspires me every day.”

One teacher from the Western Region was recognized as an honorable mention for her work: D’Anza Rene Smith of Roosevelt Middle School in Compton, California, was recognized for her efforts to encourage her students to write by asking them to chronicle their experiences in relation to various characters from novels. Smith was the only teacher to be awarded honorable mention status.   

Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board, says: “We are fortunate to be able to recognize and support these great teachers who are engaging their students and getting them excited about writing. All of the winning teachers go above and beyond the call of duty in helping their students build skills that are critical for success in the classroom and later in life.”  

The College Board established the National Commission on Writing in 2002 to create more national support for the teaching of writing. Bob Costas, a New York Times best-selling author, has received numerous Emmy Awards, including two for writing, and has been honored as Sportscaster of the Year a record eight times by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He has supported the Commission’s work by producing a national public service announcement encouraging young people to develop strong writing skills for success in the classroom and the workplace.

Teachers of grades 6–12 from any discipline, in both public and nonpublic schools, are eligible for the Bob Costas Grants, as are writing programs that take place within schools or the community. For more details about the annual awards program, now in its second year, visit www.collegeboard.com/costasgrants.