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January 24, 2020

2020 School Outreach Contest Winner: Giovanna Lester

School Outreach

Giovanna won the contest for her virtual presentation to students from Farmington R7 School in Missouri. She spoke to the 22 students aged 8 to 14 through the school’s language and culture program.

A passionate veteran of ATA’s School Outreach Program, Giovanna has a long history of presenting at her daughter’s schools over the years. Since her daughter is older now, the opportunity to present at these schools doesn’t arise as often. After schools closed in South Florida and elsewhere due to the pandemic, Giovanna happened to see that School Outreach Program Coordinator and ATA Director Meghan Konkol was looking for a virtual presenter for an opportunity with Farmington R7 School. She immediately volunteered.

Giovanna learned more details about the language and culture program at Farmington R7 and coordinated with teacher Jennifer Aholt for a Zoom presentation in June. She worked closely with Aholt to ensure that the students, their parents, and the class chaperones remained focused and could interact with her discussions on foreign languages and cultures expressed through music, clothing, food, literature, and technology. Giovanna enjoyed the active participation of the students, and even noted the involvement of some enthusiastic parents.

This was Giovanna’s first virtual School Outreach presentation. Asked about the advantages of virtual versus in-person presentations, she says she values “being able to reach a public I would not otherwise have reached” and “taking the knowledge of these two professions to communities where they are not even offered as such.”

 

School Outreach Contest

By sharing your story and photo, you could win a free registration to the ATA Annual Conference!

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← Profile of ATA 2019 School Outreach Contest Winner: Denise Fisher
Giovanna Lester Wins 2020 ATA School Outreach Contest →

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