Our West Side Stories
Arts and Literacy Integration on South Bend’s West Side
Presented by the South Bend Community School Corporation
Our West Side Stories is a teacher professional development program that reinvigorates arts and literacy integration within the South Bend Community School Corporation (SBCSC). Focusing on two middle schools and one high school on South Bend’s West Side – Dickinson Fine Arts Academy, Navarre Middle School, and Washington High School – this program provides participating teachers with monthly workshops and in-class teaching demonstrations on drama and visual arts integration across the literacy curriculum.
With the guidance of Christy Burgess of Renegade Shakespeare Company as well as SBCSC literacy and arts specialists, teachers will support students in telling their own “West Side Stories” through reflective writing, self-portraits, drama, musical performance, and other arts activities. A collection of student work will be published in book form. The program culminates in a public exhibition of student work and performance.
Credits
South Bend Community School Corporation
The South Bend Community School Corporation (SBCSC) is St. Joseph County's largest public school district and the 10th largest in Indiana, serving over 13,500 students across 27 schools.
Kemilyn Schreiber is an educator and administrator currently serving as SBCSC’s Fine Arts Curriculum Coordinator. The Fine Arts Department oversees the K-12 curriculum for visual arts, music, dance, and drama across the district. She previously served as the principal of Clay High School and assistant principal of Riley High School, both of which contained the Visual & Performing Arts magnet school for the South Bend area.
Regina Warren Ellison, SBCSC Director of Literacy, is an educator and administrator who specializes in secondary education curriculum, district-wide reading advocacy, and advanced learning programs. She co-leads the Community Book Buddies initiative which pairs local authors and community members with students to bring stories to life.
Christy Burgess
Christy Burgess is a celebrated theatre educator and artistic director of Renegade Shakespeare Company, a South Bend-based theatre company focused on empowering local youth and community members through the works of William Shakespeare. Burgess was also co-founder of the Robinson Shakespeare Company at the Robinson Community Learning Center, and in 2023 was awarded Indiana’s highest honor for achievement in the arts, the Governor’s Arts Award from the Office of the Governor with the Indiana Arts Commission. Burgess will provide support for drama integration in English classrooms through a series of workshops.
Funding & Support
This is a partner program of the 2027 Notre Dame Arts Biennial, supported with funding from the Notre Dame Arts Initiative.
This program is also made possible with funding and support from South Bend Community School Corporation and the South Bend Education Alliance.
Image
Photo courtesy of the project leaders.