Program Objectives
Through our year-round writing curriculum, we provide students with the tools and mentorship needed to explore their heritage and articulate their visions for the future.
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TOP pedagogy integrated into year-long academic curriculum
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Application of grade appropriate skills using authentic writing based on heritage and personal experience
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Cross-curricular correlations to Virginia Standards of Learning for English, Social Studies, and fine arts based on subject area participation
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Cultivation of a belief in the value of diversity and the gift of hearing a multitude of voices
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Development of social-emotional skills that cultivate confidence, pride and a sense of belonging in a global society
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Promotion of higher-order thinking skills
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Collaboration with area educational programs and interaction with family members, notable authors, community, educators and facilitators
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Use of assessment tools appropriate for grade level to show growth in written work samples collected throughout school year
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Publication of selected student work in anthology
Student and Teacher Testimonies
"This is not just an English assignment; it’s a door. A door in to the past – into the best times of my family. It brought up fond memories of people long gone. It helped me get closer to my family."
STUDENT
"The Origin Project has been a wonderful opportunity for students to take their work to the next level. Adriana Trigiani has been an inspiration to these students as well. She has taken the time to travel to our school to visit the students, listen to their stories, and skype with them. The growth observed in these students’ written expression is quite remarkable."
TEACHER, JONESVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL
Sheila Shuler
"While doing this project I heard stories I have never heard before, learned about people I never got the chance to meet, and discovered a piece of my family’s history I would have never known if it was not for the Origin Project."
STUDENT
"Everyone has a story and a past that defines them, whether that’s where their ancestors originated from or where their parents grew up; everyone has an “origin” which defines them. Mrs. Trigiani wanted to emphasize that no matter who you are, or where you come from, you have a story that needs to be told."
STUDENT
"Students practiced writing essays and responses throughout the year, but having a published piece was a substantial goal for our class. The incentive of The Origin Project publication was crucial in setting and achieving a standard of compositional excellence in my classroom."
TEACHER, VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOL
Dr. Crystal Hurd
"Through sharing our stories, I also think our class became closer knowing more about each other. It made us more unified. Even though we all come from different cultures, locations and languages, we all have cool stories to tell."
STUDENT
"The Origin Project has had a profound impact on the lives of participating students, but one in particular will—for me—always stand out. A young 5th grader who was a foster child, due to parental physical abuse and abandonment, rarely talked or smiled at the beginning of the school year. After her class began its participation in The Origin Project, she began to develop a deep interest in writing.
She looked forward to all contact with Adriana and Nancy. Her TOP journal was her treasure and she wrote in it with a surprising vigor. Reading advanced chapter books became a goal for this budding writer as she started collecting words to use in her own writing. When The Origin Project was integrated into a 5th grade Standard of Learning poetry unit, this child literally found her voice. She became a prolific little poet! Many of her complex emotions finally found a release. Peers accorded her great respect as they listened to this formerly quiet girl read poem after poem, often with dramatic emphasis.
Her life changed before my eyes with the first poem she wrote (found below), which was the one that actually was a winner in the John Fox, Jr. Literary Festival Poetry contest."
TEACHER EMERITUS
Linda Woodward
Profound Impact
You Told Me I Couldn’t Fly
I remember you told me I couldn’t fly
Yet I soared like an eagle
I remember you told me I couldn’t be anything
I have become a girl
Who is brave and fearless
I remember you told me I wouldn’t matter
Up to nothing
I have become something
All these things you told me
I couldn’t do or be
I have accomplished and succeeded
I remember on that last bright and sunny day
You asked me that unforgettable question
That’s really hard to believe
So you shipped me off like a package
Being sent into the mail
My last words to you were that I loved you
Without a response I go
Into the darkness
With only my mother
My mother that is all