SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—After a rigorous selection process, a group of highly qualified secondary-level educators from 14 US states has been selected for the inaugural GenEd Teacher Fellowship Program.
GenEd’s education director Sara Cohan led the first meeting of the 2022 GenEd Teacher Fellows. The educators introduced themselves and discussed their inspiration and path to becoming teachers and their interest in teaching about genocide. “I’m so gratified to see the number and caliber of educators who applied for the first GenEd Teacher Fellowship Program,” said Cohan. “These educators are truly committed to genocide education and will make the most out of our institute in Yerevan and our future collaboration.”
The group will embark on a 10-day intensive professional development program at the Armenian Genocide Museum and Institute (AGMI) in July. GenEd’s working partnership with the Museum has progressed in preparation for the upcoming phase of the fellowship program. AGMI scholars will speak to the GenEd Teacher Fellows on topics of research there, including memorialization of genocide. Teacher Fellows will engage in morning workshops and gain insight into the museum’s operations and invaluable artifacts and historical materials. Upon their return to the US, the GenEd Teacher Fellows will carry out their professional development activities for other teachers.
Considering each teacher instructs up to 100 new students a year and each GenEd Teacher Fellow will train a group of other educators, the GenEd Teacher Fellowship Program will significantly impact the expansion of genocide education.
Meet the GenEd Teacher Fellows
Justin Bilton is an English teacher at Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School where he has created a Genocide Studies course and facilitated a genocide studies exhibition. He has written articles on genocide studies for The Atlantic and The Hechinger Report.
Eric Bowers is a teacher at Penn High School located in Mishawaka, Indiana. He holds degrees in social studies education and history. Bowers currently teaches AP European History and AP US History. She’s a Model UN sponsor, a social studies academic coach and an Armenian club advisor.
Amanda Coven is the director of education at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education where she facilitates professional development for educators. She will be attending the GenEd Teacher Fellowship Program as a special guest on behalf of the museum. Coven helped draft Oregon’s genocide education law and works with the State Department of Education on its implementation.
George Dalbo teaches AP World History, World History and a Genocide and Human Rights elective course at Clinton Community High School in Clinton, Wisconsin. He is a Ph.D. candidate in social studies education and human rights at the University of Minnesota and served as the coordinator for his district’s implementation of the Holocaust and Genocide education and Indigenous education laws.
Jessica DePamphilis is an English teacher at Watertown High School in Watertown, Massachusetts. She’s enrolled in a doctorate of education program at Northeastern University. She has been teaching about the Armenian Genocide through English literature for seven years.
Kevin Dockery teaches AP European History, AP World History and AP US Government and Politics at Fred J. Page High School in Franklin, Tennessee, where he also serves as Social Studies Department chair as well as sponsor of the school’s Model United Nations advisor and Youth in Government advisor.
Kerri Flynn has been teaching about human rights and genocide for 24 years and has created a Human Rights and Genocide course at Washington High School near St. Louis, Missouri. She’s interested in learning about the Armenian Genocide from Armenians.
Rob Hadley is a teacher trainer in Bethel, Alaska. An educator for more than 20 years, he was a 2001 US Holocaust Museum Fellow and has consulted for the USC Shoah Foundation. He served on the Board of the Oregon Holocaust Resource Center and holds a master’s degree in Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
Mary Johnson, Ph.D., began her teaching career as a Peace Corps volunteer teacher in northern Nigeria. From 1983-2020, she was the senior historian for Facing History and Ourselves, facilitating seminars and workshops, writing curricula and conducting research. Currently, she is an affiliate and adjunct professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Stockton University.
Jackie Kemper teaches social studies at the Christian School of York in York, Pennsylvania. An educator for 26 years, she teaches Honors World History, Holocaust Literature, Honors Modern 20th Century and a World War II/Holocaust elective. She has a master’s degree in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and has created three courses on genocide. She also serves on the Teacher’s Advisory Council for Penn State’s Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Education Initiative.
Jeffrey Lewis teaches history and psychology in Stonington, Connecticut, including the course Modern World History: Government, Nationalism, Human Rights & Globalization. A passionate believer in global education, Lewis participated in the Goethe-Institut’s Transatlantic Outreach Program in 2019. He also has coached competitive interscholastic debates.
Manny Lopez is completing his 30th year in public education. He teaches and chairs the Social Studies department at Alisal High in Salinas, California. He has taught all secondary social studies courses and has led curriculum and staff development projects. Lopez has participated in study tours including those hosted by Fulbright-Hays in Morocco and China, and by the National Endowment for the Humanities in South Africa.
Sigrud Olsen teaches at Sprague High School in Salem, Oregon. Since meeting a genocide survivor in 1978, she has been teaching about historical and current genocides and includes novels, poetry, art and witness testimony in her curriculum. She has participated in numerous national and international teaching seminars, including the World Affairs Council seminar on Russia and the former Soviet States.
Amy Perkins is a 20-year veteran social studies teacher currently at Lakeshore High School in Stevensville, Michigan. She frequently travels overseas, increasing her understanding of history through first-hand experiences that she incorporates in her classroom teaching. She recently created an exchange program between her students and peers in Germany.
Kelly Rosati has been teaching history for 22 years at Stone Bridge High School in Loudoun County, Virginia. In 2017, she traveled to Rwanda to study its history, the Rwandan Genocide and the state of Rwanda today. She holds a master’s degree in education as well as a master’s in educational leadership with a concentration on history.
Allison Weller is the social studies chairperson at Copiague Middle School in Copiague, New York. She has been named Female Teacher of the Year multiple times. She has presented at annual conferences of the National Council for Social Studies and serves on the New York State Council for the Social Studies’ Human Rights Committee.
Guest Contributor
Latest posts by Guest Contributor (see all)
- Kariné Poghosyan’s Vienna series to conclude with “Beethoven” - April 26, 2024
- Ruben Vardanyan granted permission to speak with family who plea for end to his hunger strike - April 26, 2024
- Nora Armani to perform Mercedes and Zaruhi in Boston - April 24, 2024
Be the first to comment