We are very excited about the new public art project that is installed under the JFK overpass on 22nd Street! Come out and visit our "I Believe Wall" and add to the conversation!

The project was inspired by Candy Chang's Before I Die project. It is a collaboration between Ms. Manuel's Spanish 4 class and Mr. Block's English 2 classes. Special thanks to the Home and School for generously funding this project.

You can see more photos of the process and the project here.

10th grader Klarissa Hudson won the youth essay contest held by the Human Rights Campaign!! Way to go Klarissa! She will be honored at the HRC Gala Dinner.

Here is an excerpt from her essay:

Happy..I don’t really hear that word come from my mouth when I’m asked how I’m feeling. It’s usually an “I don’t know,” a “I’m alright/fine,” or “I’m chilled.” Happy isn’t really in my vocabulary. I imagine it’s not in the vocabulary of most LGBT young people. The only time I use this word for myself is when I’m saying, “I wish I can someday be happy..” It’s not easy to be happy. Not everyone has a stress free and painless life. Not everyone has friends in school. Not everyone is loved. It’s not easy to be accepted.

You can read the full essay here...

(Notice that this post is in the English class and that I have made Language and English two tags for the post. You can add any other tags that you would like.)

This is where I will write a short paragraph that describes the unit and the Language Auto assignment. I will be sure to include a reflective statement about my learning and work. This paragraph should help readers understand the context for this project and to make them want to read what is below. Notice that this paragraph is in italics.

This is where I will paste in my Language Autobiography. After I paste it I will check for formatting issues that I need to correct. If I used outside sources I will list them in a Works Cited section at the end of my paper. (Luckily Mr. Block is a nice guy and created some of the citations from class in MLA format at the end of this post.)

This is where I will paste the embed code from Vimeo so that people can see my video and after they have read my language autobiography people can click on the video to see it (without having to go to another website).

Sample Citations:

Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior. New York: Vintage International, 1976. Print.

Anzaldua, Gloria. Borderlands/La Frontera. San Francisco: Aunt Lute Books, 1999. Print.

Rodriguez, Richard. Hunger of Memory. Boston: David R. Godine, 1982. Print.

Baldwin, James. "If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me What Is." New York Times. (July 29, 1979): <http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/03/29/specials/baldwin-english.html>.

hooks, bell. Hooks on the Language of Power. New Learning. Web. 11 Jan 2013. <http://newlearningonline.com/literacies/chapter-6-critical-literacies/hooks-on-the-language-of-power/>.

Tan , Amy. "Mother Tongue." Home is Where the Heart Dwells. N.p.. Web. 11 Jan 2013. <https://blogs.law.harvard.edu/guorui/2008/02/06/mother-tongue-by-amy-tan/>.

Seven different SLA playwrights had winning plays in the 2012 Annual Playwrighting Festival run by Philadelphia Young Playwrights!

Congratulations to the following students:

Byshera Moore for her play Star Dance (Second Place)
Ellen To for her play Breaking Borders (Second Place)
Alexis Babcock for her play The Stranger (Third Pace)
Sarah Charlotte Brown for her play Waiting for a Mother (Third Place)
Maria LaTorre for her play Sono la rosa nella mi storia (Third Place)
DeShawn Mcleod for her play Just Do It (Third Place)
James Prell for his play In A Foxhole  (Third Place)

See the complete winners list here.

Numerous SLA students won awards in the Philadelphia Young Playwrights Annual Playwriting Festival!

Congratulations to Manna-Symone Middlebrooks for winning first place!! Her play will be performed at Temple November 3rd-5th. Click here to get a free ticket. (Also, check out the picture of Gina Dukes on the front page!)

Congratulations also to Aja Wallace, Martha Robles, Maddie Walls, Taylor Stover, and Bernicia Guercio for their awards. Look for their names to appear shortly on the Philadelphia Young Playwrights website (link above).

Click here to see all these play, videos, and other examples of amazing work students did last year during their World History class.

“Unusual movement in a public place will capture your eye, call your attention to the present, and expand your awareness of your surroundings…Site-specific refers to the fact that these dances take a particular place as both the inspiration and setting for the dance.”

                                                   -       from Site Dance edited by Kloetzel & Pavlik

Science Leadership Academy students have been working with the Leah Stein Dance Company to create a collection of alternative performance pieces as part of the Art in the Open festival along the Schuylkill River. Each performance is inspired by its specific site as inspiration. As you watch the dances notice the ways that they interact with the the different sites. Each piece is the product of extensive observation, experimentation, and collaboration. Allow yourself to take in the full range of possibilities that the performances create. We hope that these performances inspire new ways to see and experience this part of the city.

Thank you for your support!

Click here for full (printable) performance schedule.

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10th Graders have been working with Kate McGrath from Philadelphia Young Playwrights on a five month playwrighting project. During this time students researched Enlightenment Philosophers and investigated the evolution of ideas of human rights. Then students choose an issue and a location to focus on. They researched and began crafting monologues that focused on one or more of our essential questions:

1) How do people find hope in the face of struggle?
2) How do people find ways to resist power?
3) How does individual change happen?

Throughout the winter students wrote, revised, heard their work out loud, got feedback, wrote, revised, heard their work out loud, got feedback…

The finished plays are the product of many, many hours of hard work.

See the completed plays and videos by clicking here.

This whole process could not have succeeded without the tireless efforts of Kate McGrath, play advisor extraordinaire. Thanks Kate!

Go to your history class and create a blog post. Use the tags I have used for this post and any others you would like to add.

The different parts of your post:

1) ​1-2 paragraphs describing your project here. This should include background on your topic and background information about/description of the piece you have created.

2) Embed video here. You must have a recording of at least one part of your project. You can embed as many videos as you would like. All videos should be close-ups of the actor performing the piece. Info on how to upload videos available in class.

3) Your final, polished monologue project goes here. Be sure to include a cast of characters list, stage directions, and any other necessary information in order for the project to be performed (this may include a glossary, descriptions of staging, etc...) Pay attention to formatting-- make it clear and easy to read.

Congratulations to Gina Dukes for her play "God Makes No Mistakes," Jareese Long for her play "Circle," Julia Boyer for her play "Office 309," and Natalie Sanchez for her play "Karen's Battle." Their amazing plays won First Place, Second Place and two Third Place prizes. They have a lot to be proud of!

Gina's play, is being professionally directed and performed by Temple Undergraduate actors on Friday November 5th and Saturday November 6th. Come out to see it-- admission is free and no tickets or reservations are required.

See Philadelphia Young Playwrights for more information.