Stories of Surviving the Holocaust [Video]

Do you remember The Lawrence Welk Show? I have some fuzzy memory of it from my childhood, which according to Wikipedia, aired from 1955 to 1982 and had a long life in syndication. Anyway, this isn't going to be a post about one of the greatest TV stars of all time. I only bring it up because the new episode of Classroom Close-up, NJ that was supposed to air this past Sunday night was preempted for the special, Lawrence Welk's Big Band Splash. I'm not upset, it's fundraising time at NJTV so they have to play to the crowd to get those donations from viewers like you. Our show still aired during its daytime slots, so hopefully some people got to see it.

This week's episode led off with the piece I produced featuring the Holocaust Resource Center of Kean University. This segment was one of the highlights of the season for me so far. It's where I got to interview Holocaust survivor, Clara Kramer, and meet writer/filmmaker, Alexandra Zapruder. Not to mention the amazing students from Randolph High School and Morris County Teacher of the Year, Andrew Buchanan, who were at the center working on an independent writing project about the Holocaust.

You can catch this episode online right now or watch it again on NJTV at 5:30 a.m. this coming Saturday. It will also re-air on April 1.

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You can learn more about the Holocaust Resource Center of Kean University at their website. And don't forget to check out the Classroom Close-up, NJ Facebook page and click the 'Like' button! While you're here, subscribe to my blog or follow me on Twitter.

How To Not Go Broke [Video]

I just got back from a location shoot in Newark where we were recording a story about Capital One/Junior Achievement Finance Park with a group of students from Jersey City's Julia A. Barnes Elementary School. The segment we shot today, is actually part two of a two-parter about the financial literacy program. The first part of the story, called "Fiscal Responsibility" aired as part of last week's show.

Through role-playing and hands on activities, the program helps teach students about the importance of having a budget and managing their personal finances. In the words of just about everyone I interviewed, there are a lot "a ha" moments as the students begin to understand how much effort it takes to keep a budget and prioritize needs before wants. The students told me that after going through the program, they had a new appreciation for the financial providers in their own lives. They also told me that, "kids are expensive."


You can catch a repeat of last week's episode Saturday morning at 5:30 a.m. on NJTV or watch it online.

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Just Actors and an Audience [Video]

This is a favorite story of mine from a couple of seasons ago. Even though February is Black History Month, I had intended to post it in January (since it's MLK-related). I was reminded of it again when my daughter, Emily, told me she was memorizing a piece of the "I have a dream" speech for school.

I really like the physical theater that the kids are performing, especially the lunch counter scene. Proof that all you need for theater is an actor and an audience.

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Bullying Prevention, Return to High Point, and a Little Frog [Video]

A new episode of Classroom Close-up, NJ aired this past weekend on NJTV featuring stories about bullying, technology, and culture. (Click story titles to view the individual segments.)

• Shadows is about a dramatic play developed by students at Franklin High School in Somerset that explores the effects of bullying and building awareness of the role students can play in preventing it.
• Young Architects highlights the architecture program at High Point High School in Sussex. The same school featured in the High Point Innovators story from earlier this season.
• Puerto Rican Festival is the story I produced about Woodbine Elementary School's annual celebration of Puerto Rican culture.
• Rachel’s Challenge shows how students at Pineland Regional Middle School in Tuckerton learn lessons of kindness and compassion from a program called Rachel’s Challenge. Rachel Scott was the first person killed at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. The contents of her six diaries have become the foundation for a national school program that includes an assembly and a powerful workshop.

You can watch online or check out the repeat in HD this Saturday at 5:30 a.m. on NJTV (where to watch).

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Education Tech and Talk [Video]

A new episode of Classroom Close-up, NJ this week featured stories from the most recent NJEA Convention in Atlantic City.

First was a clip on the latest advances in lesson planning software. It was followed by some interviews with acting NJ Commissioner of Education Chris Cerf and education historian and author Diane Ravitch. Wrapping up the show was a piece on students honoring veterans and the Thanksgiving food basket story I wrote about earlier.

You can watch online or check out the repeat in HD this Saturday at 5:30 a.m. on NJTV (where to watch).

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What are you waiting for? Go check out the Classroom Close-up, NJ Facebook page and click the 'Like' button! And while you're here, subscribe to my blog or follow me on Twitter.