Mary Baillie (Grangemouth, Scotland) directed Our Day Out by Willy Russell and is currently directing Ben Elton’s We Will Rock You, to be performed in June. Mary’s paper from her Bread Loaf class, Queer 1890s has been accepted by the International Journal of Drama Education, to be published in early 2025. Mary publishes theater reviews on Broadway World at https://www.broadwayworld.com/author/Mary-Baillie .

Hailey Neal Elles (Sharon, VT) published “Fruit of the Vine,” a short story in Half and One.

Courtney Gamage (Fort Worth, TX) was recognized by Castleberry High School for excellence in small-group tutoring for students who had not yet passed the state reading and writing test.

In January, Wangeci Gitau-Damaskos (Lawrence, MA) launched the fifth issue of Exposed Brick literary magazine.

Genithia Hogges (Chelsea, MA) published “Answering the Call: a Case Study in American Music” in the Fall 2023 issue of the Massachusetts Music Educators Journal. She also supported two music educator-researchers with preparing articles entitled, “Core Beliefs: the Frameworks that Frame Us” (Dr. Sonya White Hope) and “More Than Diverse Repertoire: Culturally Responsive Music Education” (Ashley Cutherbertson), for the Winter 2023 and Spring 2024 issues.

Dr. Kayla Hostetler (Aiken, SC) was named Teacher of the Year at Aiken High School this year. She was also awarded the Golden Apple Award, a prestigious award given to a select few district teachers by WJBF, a local news station.

Laura Jagles (Santa Fe, NM; MA ‘xx) joined the faculty of Santa Fe Indian School, teaching 12th Grade English Language Arts and AP Literature & Composition. 

Lauren Jewett (New Orleans, LA; MA ’23) presented “From the Classroom to the Boardroom, the Schoolhouse to the Statehouse: An Educator’s Path to Running for Office” at the Teach for America Learning Summit 2 at KIPP Booker T. Washington High School (April, 2023). She was also recognized as the KIPP Morial School Staff Member of the Month (December 2023).

Loree Johnson (Rio Rico, AZ) and Alex Silva (Northborough, MA) both had students advance to the regional competitions of Poetry Out Loud in Arizona and Massachusetts respectively. Loree’s student advanced to the state competition at the Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

Angela Jones’ (New York, NY) students Students participated in Fordham University’s “Demystifying Language Project” with The New York Center for Public Anthropology. Additionally, Angela participated in Teaching and Organizing Around Palestine for Educators (a weekly Inquiry-to-Action workshop) with the New York Coalition of Radical Educators

In April, Dr. Beverly Moss (Columbus, OH), BLTN Director, and Professor in the Department of English at The Ohio State University, earned the university’s Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Award.

Tim O’Leary (Ripton, VT; MA ’07) was awarded Champlain Valley Union’s Frank Watson Award,  which “recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to educational technology in Vermont, spanning local, regional, and state levels.”

Kurt Ostrow (Columbus, OH; MA ’22) published several poems and essays, one of which was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He is now represented by a literary agent and working on publishing his debut book.

Dr. Marianela Rivera (Lawrence, MA) and colleague Kassie Infante published “Cultivating Democratic Learning Spaces: A Framework for Transformational Civics by HomePlace Collective” in the volume Designing Democratic Schools and Learning Environments: A Global Perspective.

Emily Reynolds (Cairo, Egypt) presented “Revisiting the Art of Questioning” at Nueva State University’s Second International Conference on Research and Pedagogical Innovations (ICPRI 2023) in December, and she published “Ameliorate: A Vignette in Vocabulary” in SIEVA Magazine Volume 2.

Corey Wozniak (Las Vegas, NV) published his essay, “My Year of Magical Baby-Making”,  The Revealer , New York University’s online magazine about religion in culture and media.

Jessica Yanes (Derby, CT) was named Derby Public School District Teacher of the Year. 

Laura Young (Oakland, CA) presented “Black Liberation Walking Tour” a series of lessons about the history of West Oakland, to over 70 Oakland Unified School District teachers as part of the district’s Black Studies Lesson Shareout.