ENRICHMENT TEACHER AND PROGRAM PROVIDER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Nomination deadline is March 1st. Winners are announced May 15th. To nominate an enrichment teacher or program provider click here.
ENRICHMENT TEACHER OF THE YEAR 2008/2009STEVE NEUMANNSteve Neumann has been working as an enrichment teacher for over 9 years. A graduate of Michigan State University with a B.A. in Theater, Steve was first introduced to enrichment through a job fair on his college campus where Steve dared to ask "What do you have for a theater major?” The next thing he knew, he was hired as the Drama Specialist for Camp Nissokone in Oscoda, Michigan, a program run through the YMCA of Detroit. It was there that he started teaching theater classes to elementary and middle school kids as well as direct 8 children’s theater productions over a two year period. While still working at Performing Arts Workshops, he became associated with Kids On Stage, Inc. a well established enrichment company located in Santa Monica offering after school classes, summer camps and birthday parties. He started teaching musical theater and imagination theater classes to kids ages 4-13. In 2007, Steve became their program director where he oversaw staffing, production schedules and helped with developing class curriculum as well as directing shows and adapting scripts. Steve has since stepped down from the position but remains on staff teaching theater to preschoolers. Steve discovered the National Enrichment Teachers Association in 2005 and jumped at the chance to advance himself within the enrichment industry by adding Enrichment Teacher Certification to his resume. Since becoming certified, Steve has maintained his certification status which has enabled him to verify to employers and parents his expertise in the skills, tasks and knowledge necessary in enrichment teaching. To add to his wealth of experience, Steve became an intern at the Dana Institute, a teaching artists training program through the Center Theater Group of Los Angeles. It was there that he began working on adapting curriculum to match the California Visual and Performing Arts Standards. He also joined CTG’s Ready Set Play program as a teaching assistant. This program brings an introduction to theater to kids K-5 in title one school districts. Steve has since moved up to a Master Teaching Artist with Ready Set Play and has recently finished his 3rd semester working there. He has also spent 2 semesters, and is currently in the 3rd, with CTG's Annenberg Middle School program, a program that works with individual classes on writing a show based on issues that students face today and brings awareness to their community’s issues. Steve is also now a mentor for the Dana Intern Program helping new teachers that are going through the intern process as well as develops the curriculum for the training they receive. In addition to his continuing work as an enrichment teacher with the Center Theater Group, Kids On Stage and Performing Arts Workshops, Steve has made time to pursue his passion as a comedic actor and has appeared in many films, commercials, and stage shows and continues to do so. He has also started his own theater company for middle school and high school kids who want something more than just their school productions. The Sunset Theatre Company opened its doors in 2008 and is currently working on “Legally Blonde: The Musical!” where he continues to instill a love for the theater and a camaraderie with all his students. For more information on Steve Neumann and the Sunset Theatre Company, email Steve at sunsettheatrecompany@yahoo.com.
PROGRAM PROVIDER OF THE YEAR 2008/2009MOVIES BY KIDSFounded in 1993, Movies By Kids is a creative enrichment program designed for teaching young students the exciting process of movie making and animation. This unique “Hand’s On” program offers children the opportunity to conceive, write, produce and direct their own animated movies, live action shorts and special effects segments in one of their in school, after school, or summer camp programs. While in college, Greg answered an ad for an after school teacher giving him the ability to show off some of his talents and get back to his passion for working with children. It was here he learned that he also possessed a special talent in the classroom - teaching. It was different, but extremely rewarding. After completing a vocational training with the Academy of Children’s Services, he became a California State Registered Enrichment Teacher giving him the ability to work for any enrichment company and teach any subject he was proficient in. Along with working with kids, Greg has a passion for movies and the movie making process. After graduating film school, Greg began a new career in Hollywood on the production end of movie making. In a relatively short time, he landed a job editing for Fox Television on such shows as "The Outer Limits", ”Safari”, and "American Adventurer". As an editor, Greg was able to use his creative mind to tell stories in new and unique ways. Sadly, though, he missed his REAL passion for working with kids - So Greg went back to the enrichment world and once again, taught classes to kids after school – but this time he decided to bring innovation to the world of enrichment. Greg combined his passion for teaching kids with his love for filmmaking by creating a program that teaches kids and young adults how to make movies in a way that is fun and sparks the imagination. His first class started with 8 kids and within a few short weeks, he was teaching every day at a different school. What began fifteen years ago with 8 students enrolled in weekly classes at one school has since swelled to nearly 1,000 students per week in dozens of schools in Los Angeles Unified and other surrounding districts. In addition to after school enrichment, Movies By Kids runs filmmaking camps during school vacations as well as birthday parties and other special events. Ongoing classes in schools and community centers allow the Kindseth brothers and their staff of instructors to delve into the technical details of movies. Birthday parties offer just a quick immersion, yielding either an animated short or a rock star music video shot entirely on a blue-screen stage. The National Enrichment Teachers Association is proud to name Movies By Kids the “Program Provider of the Year” for the 2008/2009 school year and honors their contributions to the educational landscape of the communities they serve. Movies By Kids creates a unique learning environment that fosters creativity, self expression and teamwork for everyone involved. Their program not only makes a positive impact on children and their schools but also families, friends and in some cases the movie industry generating excitement for education and the arts. We at the National Enrichment Teachers Association wish to congratulate Movies By Kids for their outstanding achievement within the enrichment industry. For more information on programs in your area, contact Greg or John Kindseth at
|