HOLLYWOOD HIGH SCHOOL TEACHING CAREER ACADEMY STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN ‘THE BIG READ’

from LAUSD Daily by Office of Communications | http://bit.ly/20ScyHZ

Above, City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell greets students from Hollywood High’s Teaching Career Academy

Hollywood High faculty members, from left, Kelly Bender, Sherri Whitham and Viktorija Lacan accompany their students to City Hall 

 

By Sherri Whitham Hollywood High School Teacher Librarian 

Apr 18, 2016  ::  A group of sophomores from Hollywood High School’s Teaching Career Academy recently attended a ceremony at Los Angeles City Hall to celebrate The Big Read, a program put on by the Department of Cultural Affairs with funding from the National Endowment of the Arts. The goal is to encourage reading for enrichment and pleasure.

The 2016 book selected for The Big Read is Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451,” a novel about a dystopian future society where books are banned or burned. In preparation for the event, teacher librarian Sherri Whitham, social studies teacher Dr. Kelly Bender and English teacher Viktorija Lacan collaborated on a cross-curricular project. Students created illustrated booklets that contained their essays about the history of book censorship during World War II, present-day book banning and the themes in “Fahrenheit 451.”

“This was a great opportunity for the teacher librarian to work with the TCA students on proper research skills and at the same time they learned history and the importance of freedom to read,” Whitham said.

• Los Angeles Poet Laureate Luis Rodriguez reads to students.

The event began with a visit to CIty Council Chambers at City Hall, where students witnessed a portion of the council meeting and were thanked for their participation.

“I think it’s really important that students were able to see the council meeting because they got to see the government at work, they were able to see different types of architecture, and they got to hear different voices form performers and speakers,” said Bender.

After the meeting the students were treated to a reading by Los Angeles Poet Laureate Luis Rodriguez and watched a performance of a scene from “Fahrenheit 451.” A raffle was held during lunch and some students received signed copies of a Luis Rodriguez book. After the event, the students took a tour of City Hall and each student received a unique screen-printed poster inspired by The Big Read and designed by artists Dewey Tafoya and Martha Carillo.

“It was a really great experience and City Hall was amazing,“ said TCA sophomore Lexa Sorto. “The Big Read showed me how important it is to read books and the value of books.”