A central part of JASP's educational mission is supporting teachers through programming and resources. Each year, we also offer full and partial scholarships to enable middle- and high-school teachers to attend our summer event. We're delighted to announce this year's cohort of Teacher-Scholars!
Claire Benesch
Hometown: Concord, NC
School: West Cabarrus High School
Role: English, Grades 9-12
Austen insight: "Austen is a tool for building empathy and understanding. . . . My students have friends like Charlotte Lucus, they have siblings like Mary Elliot, and we all have been forced to confront our internal biases at one point or another."
Ashley Honaker
Hometown: High Point, NC
School: North Carolina Cyber Academy
Role: 10th Grade English
Juvenilia: "When I was in 6th grade, I was writing a novel called Diana's Flight (very much unfinished!)"
Liberty Sites
Hometown: Crestview, FL
School: Shoal River Middle School
Role: 6th Grade History
Austen-mania: "We had a “Way Back Wednesday” during Spirit Week that was intended to be a decades day… But since they said “Way Back” I showed up in a completely hand-sewn Regency day ensemble. Most comfortable thing I’ve ever worn to teach in! Only rivaled by the Roman garb I'll be wearing to school when we complete our unit on Rome."
Annette Williams
Hometown: Orlando, FL
School: Westridge Middle School
Role: Middle School Social Studies
Juvenilia: "'Zul Ariam,' a short story about one of my grandmother's many escapades as a child in Peru!"
Colleen Lee
Hometown: Midlothian, VA
School: Swift Creek Middle School
Role: Head Librarian
Juvenilia: "'What Would I Do to Revitalize My Neighborhood?' - Chamber of Commerce Essay Contest, 3rd place, and a diary entry, 'Top Ten List of Eligible Bachelors at My High School' " (editor's note: very Austenesque!)
Adrian Demopulos
Hometown: Dallas, TX
School: Franklin D. Roosevelt High School of Innovation
Role: American and British Literature
Austen and access: "I have seen so many of my seniors blossom as readers and find joy in literature through Austen. I know firsthand that students of all backgrounds can and do relate to Austen’s work, and teaching in this context has made me appreciate her craft in a new light."
Lena Yasutake
Hometown: Bridgeport, CT
School: Bridgeport International Academy
Role: High School History, Dance, Drama, and Literature
Applying Austen: "Austen’s Juvenilia is a wonderful window into her development as a writer. We see her wit, perspective on human nature, and her ability to illustrate it for the reader. Even at an early age Austen displayed a wonderful talent for creating characters we recognize."