Foundation Rewards Good Teachers with Funds, Travel, and Education

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Heather Leise at The R.E.B. Awards Ceremony
(Photo courtesy of Heather Leise)

Jeff Hall posed with Student Artwork
(Photo By: Sarah Freiseis)

Heather Reid posed with Science Posters
(Photo By: Sarah Freiseis)

Lindsay Porzio and Class
(Photo By: Sarah Freiseis)

Barry Gabay in the Classroom
(Photo Courtesy of Barry Gabay)

Last month, The 2010 R.E.B. Award Winners were announced at a ceremony at the Library of Virginia. 148 applications were received and eighteen winners and thirteen finalists were selected from student, parent, and colleague nominations.

The program, organized by The Community Foundation, and funded by The R.E.B. Foundation, awarded a total of $169,750 this year. The R.E.B. Foundation, headed by Rudolph and Esther Bunzl, has donated about $100,000 each year for teaching excellence since 1988.

The finalists prepared grants that proposed professional growth with unique itineraries to include working toward an advanced degree and world travel. Thirty-one teachers from the Metro-Richmond area were recognized and rewarded for their personal teaching excellence and commitment to public education.

Heather Leise, a 12^th Grade Advanced Government and International Baccalaureate Program History of The Americas teacher at Atlee High School in Hanover County said she was nominated by former students. She said she filled out an in depth questionnaire asking about her teaching style, and why she became a teacher.

“Once you find out you’re a finalist, then your prepare your grant, you do your grant for why you want to do it, where you want to go, how much it will cost, all the facts and figures,” she said. “Then they interview you, and then you find out in November, so it’s about a ten month process.”

She said the grant will allow her to enhance the classroom experience beyond just teaching the written documentation of history. She plans on bringing back learning aides in the form of artifacts from Latin American Countries.

“I want to compare two Latin American countries, one with a strong European influence which is Argentina, to a country that has still an indigenous influence which is Peru,” she said. “And to see the different make-up, the food, the people, the governmental systems, and how it’s influenced by either the European side, or the indigenous side.”

Jeff Hall, an Art Teacher, and the Fine Arts Department Chair at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School in Richmond said he created a proposal to coincide with the school’s international language focus.

He said, “The R.E.B. recognition allows me to provide resources that teachers can use in their classes, whether they are teaching a foreign language or history, art is that great unifier.”

He said by visiting several European countries he hopes to compare the many facets of past versus present art and explore universal global culture in the contemporary arts.

“Across all those countries there is just tremendous diversity, of course classical and traditional art, as well as a very vibrant art scene,” he said.

Hall said he will be documenting his trip electronically via his website as it happens so the kids, and others, may follow his travels. He said he hopes to host workshops for teachers at Maggie Walker and surrounding counties when he comes back.

Heather Reid, a 5th Grade teacher at Echo Lake Elementary School in Henrico County helps create the science curriculum for the school, as well as the county as a Science CCT. She said it is important to remember creating relationships with students will inspire them to explore the subject matter.

“It will be a fun and productive learning environment, and you can have the interest, and the passion, and the experiences, to make the learning more meaningful to them,” she said. “Then they remember it better, and they are more curious about it, and they are more likely to go home and talk to their parents about it over the dinner table.”

Reid will travel to Hawaii and visually document her findings as an advanced open water certified diver. She said it is particularly exciting to see students take an interest in what is going on in school and out in the real world.

Lindsay Porzio, a 5^th Grade Teacher at Bon Air Elementary School in Chesterfield County is planning to explore the coast of southern Italy by sailboat as a part of the recertification process for National Board.

“I want to bring back to them a chance to see the world outside of Bon Air and to be able to inspire them to someday want to go and see places that we learn about and study about, just opening up the world to them,” she said. “In today’s world we have to make sure that we teach with a global perspective and not just our SOL’s and standards, that we have to make sure the kids understand they have an impact on the whole world.”

Barry Gabay teaches IB Program English and Philosophy, as well as 9^th Grade English to regular enrollment. He said many of his students speak non-standard English, Ebonics, and it’s the most prominent non-standard dialect of English.

“We have to provide equality of opportunity, it does not mean that you drag every kid across the finish line, you can’t, but you have to give equality of opportunity, every kid deserves a chance. Period,” he said. “And some kids need more preparation for the chance, and then they run the race.”

Gabay, a teacher from Thomas Jefferson High School of Richmond Public Schools, plans on traveling to India. He said he will visit poor and middle class neighborhoods to see secondary English instruction and then travel to Bangalore, the hub of the Call Center Industry in India to see how English language is used and applied there.

“So that maybe I can help our kids get employed, that’s my bottom line,” he said. “Seeing what India is doing with English language instruction, and then use in the workplace when language is essential rather than some other skill, where it’s strictly verbal communication, and see if there is a way to inculcate that into North American urban kids”

The R.E.B. Award recipients are able to embark on a journey of great professional and personal importance with the intent of enriching the community.

-Sarah Freiseis

Healthier Babies at 39 Weeks in the Womb

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Photo by Sarah Freiseis
(Informational Materials Provided by The March of Dimes Foundation)

November 17th, the Central VA March of Dimes gathered in Richmond to announce Virginia’s pre-term birth report card grade. The results put Virginia at a “D”, 15th out of the 50 states, which as a nation also received an overall grade of "D".

Jennifer Yeager, a Central Virginia March of Dimes Board Member, said preterm births are a nationwide epidemic, and although Virginia got a low grade, it was an improvement over last year.

"Virginia did receive a 0.6% decrease in the amount of preterm births over the year, so that did help improve our rating, which is almost a C, so we're getting close, we're at 11.3%," she said.

She said the grading system was bringing the issues of preterm births to the forefront.

"There is a lot of education and awareness that needs to be continued, we're hoping that we can attribute to improvement of preterm rate awareness, making health care facilities and doctors aware of that 39 week requirement, that's part of the grade, insuring as long as possible babies are making it to the 39-40 week mark."

Yeager said at the individual level there is resounding directive to keep mothers informed about what they can do to ensure the healthiest pregnancy possible.

"Smoking during pregnancy, if we can reduce that, uninsured, getting the prenatal care that they need, as well as avoiding those inductions and cesarean sections that aren't necessary, they are not medically needed, they are done on a voluntary basis, if we can reduce those, that would make a huge difference."

Tammie Shatzer, a Registered Nurse with VCU Health System in Pediatric Intensive Care said most of the babies that are preterm are generally admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), even if it’s just for observation. She said once the preterm newborns have been released from the hospital, many of those infants experience problems and need to be readmitted, at which point they come to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit or PICU.

“There are a plethora of long term effects, anywhere from breathing problems, chronic bronchitis, asthma, BPD which is a little more serious, they can outgrow that, but it can be deadly, feeding problems, eating, digestive problems, developmental delays for life, growing issues, the list really just goes on and on.”

Shatzer said a day on the job is a very real representation of what happens to these babies as they grow up.

“Some of these NICU babies, that have these severe developmental delays and issues, sometimes we see them up until twenty one,” she said. “Some of these patients spend most of their lives with us, I’ve been in the ICU for nine years, and there’s kids I’ve known since they were a couple months old, and they’re nine now.”

Stephanie Zocco, a former Pediatric Care Unit Registered Nurse at VCU Health System, said the consequences of preterm births are enumerable.

“First and foremost would be the economic burden it has on health care, I would also say the financial and economic impact it has on families, they obviously have to be taking off work to be in the hospital with their children,” she said. “Another long-term effect is that children are likely to be behind developmentally, which is going to effect their education, and the likelihood of educational advancement, and lastly I would say the long term effect that children will be admitted time and time again into the hospital, again going back to the financial and emotional impact it has on the family.”

Angela Davis, the Central Virginia Division Director for The March of Dimes Foundation, said it’s essential to express how devastating preterm births.

“I think its important for everyone to know that prematurity is serious disorder in our country, it ranks amongst cancer and heart disease as one of the leading disorders in our country,” she said. “It costs our country 26 billion dollars a year for children that were born prematurely.”

She said The March of Dimes mission is to improve the health of babies, and part of that is helping people understand the issues connected with pregnancy.

“There is a huge misconception about children that are born prior to 39 Weeks, that if they’re six pounds or five pounds then they’re okay. What they have found in recent years through research is that a child’s brain does a significant amount of developing between 34 weeks and 39 weeks of gestation, 60% of its growth is done at that time,” she said. “When you deliver prior to that time, you are compromising the brain development of the child.”

Davis said the goal number chosen for the Preterm Birth Report Card system is an aspect of a greater objective that goes hand in hand with the March of Dimes.

"The 7.6% goal is Healthy People 2010, which is something that is established by the CDC not the March of Dimes,” she said. “But we do work closely, are office of governmental affairs works closely with legislators on Capitol Hill as well as our state legislators in issues like this.”

Prematurity continues to be a serious health problem and Virginia certainly has room for improvement.

-Sarah Freiseis

The Reel Pride Richmond Film Festival Comes Out Center Stage the Second Time Around

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Photos by Sarah Freiseis

Last Friday, November 5^th, The Second Annual Reel Pride Richmond Film Festival kicked off at Richmond Center Stage. The sold out crowd convened at the Gottwald Playhouse and mingled as they awaited the opening of the LGBT film festival. Opening night attendees were treated to the Richmond premier of Howl followed by a gala. Patrons, sponsors, and volunteers were among those enjoying the party.

The film festival was organized by ROSMY, Richmond Organization for Sexual Minority Youth. ROSMY was started in the early nineties as support system and educational forum for Virginia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. The proceeds from the festival go to supporting the LGBTQ youth in the community, and some of the films, like FIT were presented by ROSMY at no charge to students as an opportunity to experience dialogues and scenarios they can relate to themselves and the world around them.

Beth Panilaitis, Executive Director of ROSMY, said the planning process began just as the previous festival ended. She said over the last six month things really started to come together.

"We had a film festival committee that got together, and vetted dozens and dozens of films, so its a fun committee to be on if you really are a movie buff, and have gone through and the films coming out this year and have been shown at the film festivals, contacting producers, and then watching all of the screeners to see which films were the best, which films made the most sense to show, and which films were the most representative of the LGBT community as a whole," she said.

She said things are already in the works for next year.

"Next year we can plan a bigger and better film festival, we expanded this year from last year because more people know about the festival, and more people want to come out, and I think more people also know about ROSMY, and so we can plan on it expanding and having another great selection of films," she said.

Panilaitis talked about how Friday’s festivities at the new venue marked a successful venture on many fronts.

"Last year we had a great venue at the Firehouse, and we really enjoyed it, but we were looking at growing the film festival and we sold out opening night last year, for 100 spots, and this year for 180, so we wanted to find a place that not only was larger, but would be something that would attract folks from all over the city, and we thought that downtown would be a great location," she said. "It's an amazing feeling, we have sold out tonight, you know we have a lot of people who are coming because we are showing a great movie but also because they want to support a great cause.”

Hannah Winter, a ROSMY representative, was outside of Richmond Center Stage ushering people to the Reel Pride Film Festival on opening night. She said she was having fun and glad to be a part of such an exciting event.

“Tonight we've got the Reel Pride Film Festival happening, and Richmond premier of Howl which is awesome, and just to benefit ROSMY which is a great organization,” she said.

Jane Lucas, a literature teacher at Virginia Commonwealth University, said that the excitement surrounding the opening night film is meaningful to her in more ways than one.

"I have long been a fan of Allen Ginsberg’s, and I think it's very exciting that this film is premiering tonight, one of my freshmen, actually earlier this semester during an oral presentation started reciting parts of Howl and I was so excited to hear someone 18 years old, who was so familiar with Allen Ginsberg he was actually reciting a part of Howl considering how many decades its been since Allen Ginsberg wrote Howl,” she said. “I was talking to him about the fact that this movie was coming out and he was so excited and had actually seen some of the ads and was so impressed with Franco's rendering of Ginsberg's poetry he was so energized and so excited about the fact that this film was coming out, and I am too, I’m always really excited to tell students that films are coming out that depict writers of great works, and so that's part of the reason that I'm very excited about this and that I'm here."

Monica Behney came to the opening event to support ROSMY while enjoying the more social aspects of the evening.

"I'm a volunteer for ROSMY so I've been supporting the organization in that way, for just over two years, so I'm really excited to support it in this way as well, and also have a great time at the event," she said. “I’m looking forward to the party.”

ROSMY Office Manager, Karen Austin, said although she did not preview the films, she was excited to see them as she knew the board had made a unique selection that could help ROSMY increase awareness.

“I hope it will continue to grow as word spreads and gets to the community in Richmond, and that more and more people will come out and support the Reel Pride Film Festival as well as ROSMY and the youth we represent."

The films, running all day Saturday, were specifically selected to appeal to varying audiences in the LGBT community. Many films were coupled to highlight a feature film and a short film in the same showing. 8: The Mormon Proposition played with a special screening of “I’m Just Anneke,” an eleven minute documentary. The Reel Pride Richmond Film Festival came to a colorful conclusion with the six-time academy award winning favorite Auntie Mame.

-Sarah Freiseis

Richmond History Comes Alive in the Spirit of Halloween

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Photos by Sarah Freiseis

With Halloween approaching, Richmonders have a chance to explore the city’s past. Many local attractions draw larger crowds this time of year as the mystery behind the history comes to the forefront.

Although Halloween is celebrated in varying ways, or sometimes not at all, one thing is for sure, history is, well history, and it’s not going anywhere. Historical sites and local businesses are gearing up for the 150th year anniversary of the civil war which is expected to boost tourism as travelers worldwide plan to visit Richmond. The Halloween festivities get the ball rolling as locals are invited to get in on the action.

The Jefferson Hotel in downtown Richmond actually opened on Halloween 115 years ago this Sunday. Rick Butts, Director of Sales and Marketing, said Halloween packages are offered and locals are encouraged to celebrate the Richmond landmark.

“I think certainly history is a huge draw, and the things that go along with that, the legends of the alligators that used to live here in the live pools, things like that, the allure of past presidents and famous people, that either worked here or stayed here, when we interact with guests they talk a lot about some of those neat events and history that’s taken place in this cool building,” he said. “I have heard quite a few stories, I think the historic tours that take place just a few blocks from us in the Shockoe area are very popular, certainly given the history of the civil war, I think there’s a lot of connection to that sort of haunted history.”

Butts said downtown is the place to be. He said that with the anniversary coming up there will be a great deal of focus on the capital city and to Richmonders it's a reminder we often overlook what's in our own backyards.

He said, “there’s really a lot to see, of course the river, the Edgar Allen Poe Museum, Saint John’s Church, just a multitude of attractions that really tie to this holiday, as well as just the history of the city.”

Keith Kaufelt, a tour guide for the Eerie Nights ghost tours, said their tours run May through October but there are naturally more participants this month as people are getting into the Halloween spirit.

“Our guides are dressed in nineteenth century costume and they have special effects horror make-up on and so that kind of adds to it so even if you again aren’t totally a believer in the ghost aspect, it’s still entertaining to have some sort of creepy kind of character there for you,” he said.

Kaufelt said that despite the additional "just for show" aspects of the tour, the core is based on real history, and the unusual occurrences and sensations people experience at the stops along the way.

"You have the 17th street Farmers Market which is where our tours actually take place, which has been a market since the founding of Richmond, it was very big in the slave trade in Richmond, so there’s a lot of stories that go along with that, people who see apparitions while they’re walking around late at night here, maybe coming home from the bars they’ll see a dark shadowy figure, others say that they have unexplained senses of fear and anxiety, on the ghost tour we talk about how we believe that’s probably residual emotions left over by you know the thousands and thousands of slaves that passed through the area, many of which ended up perishing,” he said.

Another tour guide, Melanie Armstrong, gives tours in Shockoe Bottom, Capitol Hill, and Church Hill. Armstrong is also the Education and Events Coordinator at The Poe Museum. She said the influx of interest this time of year opens the door for knowledge based tourism.

“I do ghost tours with haunts of Richmond, and definitely this is peak haunting season, so people have been coming out all month, getting into the Halloween spirit good and proper," she said. "We take people to sites that are said to be haunted, and then we tell people all about them.”

Armstrong said The Poe Museum has its fair share of fright factor, and the employees often hear peculiar noises while on the job.

“The alarm system which may have shown up on your recording just now has a micro chip in it, it’s a distinctly male voice when a door opens and closes, it’s not a radio signal, it’s a male voice, we sometimes get things that come through that alarm system that are not male voices, we’ve had female voices, we’ve had weird like somebody’s trying to tune a radio sort of squiggly noises, and all kinds of frequency noise, and it's not a radio signal, the alarm company assures us it’s not a radio signal.”

Local author Beth Brown has taken an interest in Richmond’s dark history. She recently released a new book called Wicked Richmond and told WRIR news why our city is so unique.

“I think Richmond has one of the best assortments of haunts because history is such an everyday thing for us in this city, he have so many sites that are held as honorable places that are untouched, for almost three hundred years, some of these things, so many layers of history as well,” she said. “Not only is Richmond significant historically as far as paranormal activity goes, we have a very special geological situation here where we have running water, we have a huge granite foundation under the city, which lots of paranormal researchers seem to think now that there is a connection between the crystals in this granite and the level of paranormal energy at a site, and we’re also on a fault line, that tectonic energy is feeding into supposed paranormal activity, and that is really the leading theory in the field now as to why this area in particular is so rich in ghosts.”

During this time of year, Richmond evokes excitement and intrigue for many as the memory of those lives that have come...and gone before us are relived right here in the very city where we work, play, and live every day.

-Sarah Freiseis