A Proviso East High School art teacher was recently awarded a $1,000 scholarship from an education nonprofit and the school’s Student Academy Council recently received a $2,000 donation from a digital marketing agency.
Daphne Hill — master-certified in art education, co-wrote curriculum for the high school’s AP Studio course and founder of a new art club, among other activities — was recently awarded the scholarship from the Common Roots Initiative.
The nonprofit works to “deliver opportunities that inspire under-resourced high school youth and their teachers to courageously create fulfilling careers,” according to a statement the organization released.
The scholarship, CRI officials stated, is the first the organization has offered that included funding for professional development, as well as classroom projects.
“I am looking forward to purchasing a new classroom projector that I can use every day in my classroom,” Hill said. “It will allow me to spontaneously show my students images and videos that will be useful for their individual project work on a daily basis in a way that has not been available to me before.”
Hill added that she’ll use the rest of the scholarship funds to complete a continuing studies course in graphic design at the School of The Art Institute of Chicago.
“This course will update my knowledge of graphic design software in line with the programs we currently have available at Proviso East,” she said.
Kesha Green, CRI’s vice president, said all of the teacher scholarship candidates were impressive, but “we could clearly see that Hill’s vision would closely fulfill the needs of current students and provide a great foundation for innovative curriculum growth.”
And last month, March Media Chicago announced that it had decided to give $2,000 to East “after learning about [the] school and its mission.” The marketing agency had been working on a rebranding project for the high school when it made the decision to donate the money.
According to a statement the company released on Jan. 27, the money will go to the school’s Student Academy Council, which holds fundraisers and other events in order to encourage academic engagement.
“Our first purchase will be academy pins and polo shirts, which will be gifted to the second academy cohort,” said Bertha Luiz, College and Career coordinator at Proviso East.
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