Grant program from NCTE, Penguin Random House, Anne Frank Fonds Basel elevates teaching of memoir to educate, inspire student writers
Following a competitive application process, a select group of classroom teachers has been chosen to implement creative, engaging strategies for teaching memoir to support student writing using funds provided by the new Anne Frank Award for Teaching Memoir.
The awards program鈥攍aunched in 2025 by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), Penguin Random House, and Anne Frank Fonds Basel founded by Otto Frank鈥攑rovides 10 English teachers with a $1,000 grant each to teach memoir across language arts education, with a focus on children鈥檚 voices and experiences during times of war.
鈥淓nglish language arts teachers recognize the unique value of memoir鈥攁nd youth memoir in particular鈥攖o build students鈥� writing and reading skills,鈥� 起点传媒Executive Director Emily Kirkpatrick said. 鈥淭he applicants spanning every state in the country represent the ingenuity and dedication held by English language arts teachers.鈥�
The winners represent middle, secondary, and postsecondary settings in nine states spanning the US. The award funds are supporting these educators as they incorporate new memoirs, book sets,鈥痺riting projects, and other special learning experiences centering stories and lived experiences through writing and reading.
For example, in one expanded ELA curriculum, eighth-grade students will deepen their literary analysis鈥痶hrough鈥痗lose reading of memoir鈥痺ith new books,鈥痗reate鈥痑 multimodal composition鈥痠n print鈥痑nd鈥痑udio formats, and鈥痗elebrate their work at a community event. Elsewhere, a course鈥痺ill鈥痵upport 11th- and 12th-grade students in learning directly from professional writers as they create personal essays to be featured in the school鈥檚 literary鈥痬agazine. And on one college campus, freshmen including鈥痸eteran鈥痑nd military-affiliated student populations will create and share anonymous鈥痬emoir鈥痳eflections鈥痮n life in war-torn countries before participating in immersive education experiences focused on war experiences.
鈥淭hrough their teaching, these incredible educators are helping students connect more meaningfully with both history and their own voices,鈥� said Nihar Malaviya, CEO of Penguin Random House. 鈥淭heir work is shaping a generation of thoughtful, empathetic readers and writers.鈥�
The award winners were chosen by a panel comprising teachers appointed by 起点传媒and one representative each from Penguin Random House Education and Anne Frank Fonds Basel.
鈥溒鸬愦絘nd Penguin Random House鈥檚 commitment to empowering young people through literary programs is an important element in educating them about the harsh realities of the present and giving young voices a platform to strengthen peaceful coexistence, including by addressing lessons learned from the past,鈥� said Yves Kugelmann of the Board of Anne Frank Fonds Basel.
About the Winners
- Comfort Agboola鈥痠s an award-winning middle school educator, literacy advocate, and founder of Lit and Love, LLC in Chicago, IL.
- Vivett鈥疕emans Dukes鈥痠s a veteran ELA鈥痚ducator, writer, and researcher with over a decade of experience鈥痠n鈥痶eaching middle and high school students in New York City.
- 碍补测濒补鈥疘肠丑颈办补飞补 teaches 10th-grade English at Kingston High School in Kingston, New York.
- Patrick Martin鈥痠s a high school English teacher at Charleston County School of the Arts in Charleston, South Carolina.
- Mackenzie Miller鈥痠s in her second year鈥痮f鈥痶eaching鈥痭inth-grade English at Wilson School District in West Lawn, Pennsylvania.
- Dr.鈥疛on Mundorf鈥痠s an award-winning teacher and researcher at P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.
- Rhea Ramakrishnan鈥痠s a writer and educator who has been teaching in public K鈥�12 and higher education environments for a decade. She teaches high school in Baltimore, Maryland.
- 础尘别别谤鈥疭辞丑谤补飞补谤诲测鈥痟as been a College Lecturer II in the English department at Ocean County College in New Jersey since 2019.
- Anna Suppe is a 7th-grade teacher at Horace Mann Middle School in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
- Christina Yanuaria鈥痠s a first-generation academic whose鈥痵cholarship challenges conventional epistemologies of educational鈥痑ndragogies鈥痑nd embraces a praxis aligned with the communal philosophy of Ubuntu:鈥疘 am because we are. She teaches at a community college in California.
About NCTE鈥�
The National Council of Teachers of English鈥�(NCTE) is the professional organization for literacy teachers spanning preK through college.鈥疶hrough expertise and advocacy from its members鈥� professional research, practice, and knowledge, 起点传媒has served at the forefront of every major improvement in the teaching and learning of鈥疎nglish and the language arts since 1911. For more information, please visit鈥�.
About Penguin Random House
Penguin Random House creates books for everyone. We believe books change us, connect us, and carry us toward a better future. As the world鈥檚 largest trade publisher, we reach readers in more than 175 countries with stories and ideas across the spectrum of viewpoints and experiences. Each year, we publish more than 14,000 new works spanning fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages and in all print, digital, and audio formats. Penguin Random House is a proud home to the world鈥檚 most influential voices, thinkers, and storytellers, including more than 80 Nobel Prize laureates, 140 US Pulitzer Prizes, 20 National Book Awards, and 24 UK Booker Award winners. As fierce champions for free expression and expanding access to books, we celebrate the right to read, think, and learn. Every day we strive to build a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable world. With businesses in more than 20 countries, Penguin Random House was formed in 2013 and has been solely owned by Bertelsmann since 2020.鈥�
About the Anne Frank Fonds Basel
The Anne Frank Fonds Basel was founded in 1963 by Otto Frank and designated as universal heir.鈥疧tto Frank鈥檚 commitment was to an open society showing solidarity and without prejudice or marginalization. He particularly supported work relating to peace, young people, and dialogue and advocated the strengthening of human rights as well as opposing any form of discrimination, racism, or anti-Semitism.鈥疶he nonprofit organization works on a voluntary basis and supports children鈥檚 rights projects.鈥�
MEDIA CONTACT:
Allie Ciaramella, NCTE:鈥�media@ncte.org