Cynthia Chesak's drama and English classes are the wellspring of future thespians and playwrights at Foster High School in Tukwila. In her collaborative playwriting class, groups of students write parts of a play, which they develop to their conclusions during rehearsal. This process not only teaches them about plot and character, but about the plays' substantive issues as well. One such play, Poets, dramatized the experiences of ESL students in a new country. In addition to drama, Ms. Chesak teaches an Advanced Placement English class that includes a children's literature unit, at the end of which students are required to write and illustrate their own children's book based on their study of the form.
1969 Universidad de Las Americas, B.A.
