Jennifer Katona, Program Director Blog Post

As I sit comfortably in my home and begin to reflect on the question asked of me for this post I am most struck by how fast time goes by.  I cannot believe I sit having completed the fifth year of the program.  I am proud to see how strong the ensemble we have created is and how wonderful it is to too our alumni return to sit on panels, serve as cooperating teachers, teach courses and collaborate on projects now in their professional capacity.  I am continuously grateful for the dedication of the faculty (both full-time thank you SOBHA) and adjunct faculty and student teaching supervisors who make themselves available to our candidates well beyond their pay grade :).   Though I could talk at length about all the work of the last five --I wanted to take a minute to officially wrap up the Spring 2012 semester.

What a FANTASTIC year we have had!! Congratulations to all the graduates you have worked really really hard for 2+ years and deserve all the success we know is in front of you.

We have had great performances with Megan Ludlow leading the successful fundraising campaign for Raise the Curtain and her production of Really Rosie as well as Mollie Lief and company performing their wonderful youth theatre production of the Tortoise and the Hare and this year's Family Arts Day.

A big shout out again to Kat DeLapp and Sobha for a truly amazing event with over 150 members of the Harlem Community in attendance.

This semesters research share was an inspiration and I am excited for the field of arts education to begin to learn of the innovative research being done at CCNY by its graduates.

Thank you again to Club Officers Megan Ludlow, EJ Jewell and Christine Gonzalez-DeJohn for a wonderful semester coordinating the Johnny Saldana workshop, Mini Conference and the festive end of semester party.

June 25th the Program in Educational Theatre is proud to host the end of the year reception for the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable from 4-7 in the NAC Ballroom and we hope you can join us!!! Great way to network and learn more about the field at large.

We are excited to welcome 20 new graduates in the Fall -we had a lot of applicants this year and are very happy with the new cohort and believe they will be a wonderful addition to our ensemble!!

We are also excited to announce that in the Fall semester the Program in Educational Theatre will be piloting a new innovative approach to student teaching. We are proud to say we have hired Mina Hartong in a part-time capacity to oversee Student Teaching observations and seminar. We feel strongly that this new system will mainstream the student experience and strengthen the connection between K-12 classroom and our graduate work -welcome Mina!

If you are heading to Kentucky for AATE come back informed, if you are heading to the beach come back restored, if you are heading to the theatre come back inspired!!