Portland High Teacher Wins Unsung Heroes Award
Allison Villani, an art teacher at Portland High School, has won an Unsung Heroes Award for innovative teaching practices from ING Financial Services. She will use the $2,000 award to work with students in an English as a Second Language (ESL) class to document their lives.
Villani began the “My Life” project with her ESL art fundamentals class a few years ago. The award will pay the costs of students producing books with their life stories. Writers and artists will visit the class to help students improve their storytelling and illustrations. The students will share their completed books with children at Reiche Elementary School and at the Portland Public Library.
Students at Portland High School come from more than 30 countries and speak more than 50 languages. “The project helps break down barriers,” said Villani. “The whole class gets to see a different side of students when they present their work.” Students also learn about career opportunities in writing and illustration, she said.
Each year, 100 Unsung Heroes Awards are given to teachers throughout the country pioneering new teaching methods and techniques that improve learning. Villani was one of two winners in Maine.
Villani is beginning her ninth year as a Portland High teacher. She previously taught at Lyman Moore Middle School, the West School program and St. Joseph’s Parish School.
