![]() ![]() Penn High School sophomore Katie Laiman approached the College with her idea to bring Gruwell to South Bend as her Girl Scout Gold Award Project. The film is based on The Freedom Writers Diary, the NewYork Times bestseller that chronicled Gruwell’s journey with 150 high school students who had been written off by the education system. ![]() In 2007 Paramount Pictures released Freedom Writers, a movie starring two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank as Gruwell. Her impact as an agent of change has attracted much attention, including that of Hollywood. Gruwell has earned an award-winning reputation for her steadfast commitment to the future of education which values and promotes diversity. PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY TO EVENT TO GET A SEAT.) Gruwell will also sign copies of her book. ![]() Gruwell’s talk will take place following cultural performances by Saint Mary’s College students. The public is invited to this free event, which celebrates diversity and understanding and takes place on the United Nations International Day of Tolerance. 16 in Little Theatre, Moreau Center for the Performing Arts. Alpizar hopes that her story will help students who feel like they’re alone see that they can use education to rewrite their story with an ending they’d be proud of.įor more information about the Freedom Writers Foundation, visit the website here.Octo(Notre Dame, Ind.)-Saint Mary’s College is pleased to welcome Erin Gruwell, educator and founder of the Freedom Writers Foundation, to speak about “Teaching Tolerance.” The event will begin at 10 a.m. We want to show them that with the power of education, they can break the cycle of abuse, poverty and of everything that they don’t want to live with anymore,” says Alpizar.Īlpizar and Gruwell’s other students graduated from high school and all went on to rewarding careers. “For us, education was that tool for us to achieve our dreams. Ultimately, the foundation encourages the students to write down their feelings, share them and use education as a gateway. The goal is to get the students to share their stories, understand that there are others out there who are either experiencing a similar situation or wants to be there for them. I had been homeless and I felt so completely lost,” said Alpizar. “By the age of 15, I had experienced a loss of my brother. To reassure the students, Alpizar and the other workshop leaders use their personal stories in hopes to let students know that they’re not alone and there are people who believe in them. The workshop is private and what is said in the room stays there because the students open up about traumatic experiences like suicide, violence, abuse and their lack of self-confidence. Alpizar and a couple members of the foundation used the line game to gain insight on what some of the students are going through or have experienced. The activity enables a teacher to solicit information from their students that they may not feel comfortable sharing with a teacher. It’s an opportunity to become more familiar with the class and students. Gruwell exposed her students who unique lessons including something called the line game. During her time there, Gruwell found she changed not only her life as someone who grew up in Newport Beach, but also those of the 150 students that passed through her classroom. I will get to know them more personally,” says Sue Ellen Alpizar, a Freedom Writer.Īlpizar was one of more than a hundred students who met Gruwell when she took a job student teaching at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach in 1994. “When I see these kids, I don’t see their records. Martinrex Kedziora went through a training conducted by the foundation and was named a Freedom Writer Teacher. The district was chosen to host the Freedom Writers because Superintendent Dr. They held an assembly and met the campus body of students, and held a private workshop with students who are part of the peer leadership class. One of their last stops was March Mountain High School. Gruwell and her former students and members of the Freedom Writers Foundation visited campuses in the Moreno Valley Unified School District for months.
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