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Heidi Ostendarp, US English, spent this past summer enrolled in a graduate level English program at Wellesley College. The course, Writing the Contemporary Narrative, focused on the components of crafting fiction for  publication. The sharpening of her writing skills in the narrative form will be immediately applicable to her Upper School students this semester in the Creative Writing program. A poet by nature and design, Heidi is excited by the opportunity to explore new writing styles, particularly short stories. Heidi has maintained her love of the English lexicon by continuing her academic studies for the past several summers, having completed her Masters in Literature at the Breadloaf School of English at Middlebury College two summers ago. The highly competitive Breadloaf Masters program encompassed summer sessions in Vermont and three summer semesters at Oxford. Heidi was awarded a fellowship for academic excellence through her master's degree program. A graduate of Amherst College, Heidi has transferred from the Middle School to teaching Upper School English this year and looks forward to engaging the students in discussions about the writing process. "Wooster students are active learners; they ask questions and make astute observations. I plan on fostering a learning environment where the students are able to steer the classroom dialogue in a direction toward their own inquiries," says Heidi.
Galina Tchourilova, LS/US French Teacher, was accepted into the Fulbright Scholar Program and joined 200 other educators from across the nation for three  weeks in Japan. After an initial week in Tokyo, Galina will be immersed in the Japanese culture and spend the remainder of the program living with a Japanese host family. Galina received a Master's Degree in Languages, from Pedagogical Institute in Rostov-on-Don, Russia and is familiar with multiple languages, but she will be exploring uncharted territory in Japan. The Fulbright Scholar program is meant to promote intercultural understanding between the two countries and promote greater harmony and understanding among students in the U.S. and Japan. This fall semester Galina plans to introduce study units on Japan's history and culture within the Lower School curriculum, involve the art department by exploring Japanese art forms, and establish a link through the Multicultural Club to exchange email with Japanese grade school students and to develop relationships with other Japanese schools for the purpose of sharing ideas and information. Galina, now back from Japan, is working on a multimedia presentation to share her experience with the entire Wooster community.
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