Judd Sunshine – Teaching Artist since 1985 Judd Sunshine began his career as a teaching artist with the renowned school assembly group known as The Hill Brothers. Between 1985 and 2022, The Hill Brothers performed thousands of educational concerts for students all over New York State, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Jersey. Following the retirement of his fellow Hill Brothers and Sister Susie Hill, he continues the tradition of presenting quality, theme driven, educational, and entertaining programs as a solo performer. His 5 themed shows are comprised of songs and messages delivered with gentle humor and loads of audience participation: Anti Bully Literacy Character Ed (Respect and responsibility) Wellness (safe choices!) Americana and Erie Canal Songs Judd also offers an Erie Canal Songwriting residency as well as non themed shows just for the pure fun of it (great for the end of the school year or summer programs/camps!)

We offer dynamic, bilingual programs tailored for our diverse community, showcasing author visits, writing workshops, poetry readings, and engaging cultural events. Through immersive experiences, we celebrate heritage as our superpower, focusing on Afro-Caribbean culture and exploring themes like personal and cultural identity, belonging, migration, and family values. Our programs are designed to be engaging and culturally responsive, offering a rich fusion of experiences for all.

We are Lianne and Jaymee Frankel, New York State-certified teachers, sisters, and founders of Chain Reaction, an educational program centered around live music, social-emotional learning, and storytelling. Our Chain Reaction program has been performed at schools and other venues across Long Island and New York City, and teaches concepts such as creating a kindness chain reaction, the power of positive self-talk, the power of music on mental health, and mindfulness/social-emotional learning.

After retiring from teaching at the elementary level for 25 years, I decided I still wanted to teach. So, my love for nature and children led me in the direction of writing fictional animal based stories based on facts. I offer school wide readings, as well as class presentations. Depending on the program requested, I also offer activities (crafts and games) as well as some science based videos to aid in the presentation. Book signings are always provided for books purchased before or during the special book talk day. Books are: The Flamingo With Two Left Feet Amari’s BIG Surprise…It’s NOT Monkey Bread! We Can...and We Do!

School Assembly: First Choice & A Second Chance This program begins with an introduction video aimed at knocking down the stigma attached to substance use disorder, educating the audience on the current drug epidemic, and setting the stage for a powerful, honest and heartfelt story. During interviews with Stephen’s family, it becomes clear he had a great childhood. “No one saw this coming.” Through sharing his lived experience, Stephen shows how mental health struggles can lead to addiction, the consequences of substance use, and how stigma prevented him from asking for help and contributed to his inability to recover. His storytelling technique allows each individual person to draw conclusions in their own meaningful way as it relates to their own life. By focusing on the progression of his dependence—beginning to end—attendees will gain a better understanding of how the choices they make today will affect them, and those around them, for the rest of their lives. The trifecta gateway drugs of nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana introduced to Stephen in 8th grade by older peers was just the beginning, eventually leading to self-destructive behaviors, criminal convictions, and a deadly opioid addiction that Stephen directly states he would have never made it out alive if fentanyl was as prevalent during his addiction as it is today. He takes you through his struggles and extremely difficult times, then slowly transitions into sobriety—emphasizing that recovery is possible. Through practicing gratitude, healthy routines, and changing his mindset to view his challenges as opportunities to inspire others, profound changes began to happen in Stephen’s life. The pivotal moment occurred just before he celebrated one year of recovery. Stephen was given a second chance to turn his mess into a message by working in the field of addiction treatment and prevention. From there, he gained the confidence to share his story, go back to college and eventually law school. Today, he speaks all across the country to inspire others to lead healthy, substance-free lives. Attendees will leave this program better educated on mental health and substance use, with practical tools and coping skills to work through challenges, a better understanding of the ripple effect—how our actions influence and impact others, and with a goal-oriented mindset to build a life worth protecting. Breakout Sessions: Break the Silence As a follow-up to the assembly, breakout sessions build on Stephen’s talk and focus on reinforcing key concepts. These sessions offer students a unique chance to ask personal questions and engage in open discussions in a comfortable, intimate setting. Each session delves deeper into the most crucial topics covered in the assembly, allowing students to ask relevant questions and share their takeaways. Typically held in Health and PE classes, these sessions can be tailored to specific grades or customized schedules. Stephen’s Breakout Session worksheet allows students to submit anonymous responses, fostering honesty and openness. The anonymous data collected offers critical insights for schools, helping them identify areas where further support or follow-up might be necessary. Additionally, these insights can be used to reinforce the positive takeaways from Stephen's message throughout the school year, ensuring that the impact of the sessions continues to resonate with students long after the program concludes. Assembly/Workshop: Know the Law, Save a Life An interactive program educating high school seniors on laws related to drugs and alcohol, as well as the legal and moral consequences of their actions. Stephen begins by qualifying himself through sharing his experience on both sides of the law, both as a defendant during his struggles with substance use and now as a defense attorney in recovery. Students learn basic courtroom terms, criminal laws, civil laws, and the potential penalties and liability that can follow from breaking these laws. Stephen gives fact patterns with real life scenarios so students can see how these laws play out in situations young people are faced with everyday. Some of the laws covered are the Good Samaritan Law, DWI/DUI & Zero Tolerance, Vehicular Homicide, Strict Liability for Drug-Induced Deaths, Social Host Liability, Providing Alcohol to Minors, Fake IDs, Hazing, Affirmative Consent to Sexual Activity, and Defamation of Character. Stephen also covers fentanyl and the misperception of harm due to the legalization of marijuana. Professional Development: Transforming Youth Discipline & Justice with Restorative Practices Transforming school discipline and criminal justice policies from punitive to restorative practices for youth struggling with substance use disorder not only saves lives—it builds lives worth defending. School administrators and law enforcement face significant challenges to find the most effective response when a young person—anyone under the age of 25—breaks the law or violates a code of conduct for drugs and alcohol. Stephen Hill brings extensive personal and professional experience on this topic. His unique perspective comes from his work as a criminal defense attorney with a focus on drug and alcohol related offenses, recovery coach, and youth motivational speaker. His work was inspired by his own adverse childhood experiences—out-of-school suspensions, removal from school sports teams, felony convictions—the labels and stigma that came with it, and the trauma that followed. We often hear administrators and law enforcement, when faced with an individual who violated the law or code of conduct, must make decisions by balancing the best interests of the individual and the community. Stephen’s training helps people recognize how the best interests of individual offenders and communities align more than most people think. Through sharing his personal testimony and advocacy work today, Stephen reveals innovative solutions for schools and communities to develop systems to achieve better outcomes for young people facing behavioral and/or criminal justice challenges because of substance use disorder or a co-occurring disorder. At the end of this session participants will be able to: Recognize situations, when dealing with youth discipline and justice, that require restorative practices to achieve better outcomes Explain why punishment is not effective for specific or general deterrence for youth struggling with substance use disorder or a co-occurring disorder Communicate the ideology and evidence behind restorative practices—particularly for youth—so more people in their community can understand and support restorative practices Develop systems and procedures for youth discipline and justice that add more protective factors rather than removing them with strictly punitive measures

Each year, our school programs serve thousands of students from Saratoga and its surrounding counties, offering activities like "Sheep to Shawl," "Native New York," and "A Brookside Harvest" for various grades and subjects. We provide in-classroom programming, field trip options to our Brookside Museum, and can customize presentations to meet the needs of your students. The Saratoga County History Center offers diverse educational programs for children and adults, expanding our distance learning options to support local schools, teachers, students, and families. We are happy to work with elementary, middle, high school, and college-level students, delivering content in Social Studies, history, and some STEM areas. We can also adapt to virtual lessons upon request. Please contact us at education@brooksidemusem.org for more information.

New York Times bestselling author of middle grade and young adult author of over 40 books, Jen Calonita offers both large and small group author assemblies and writing workshops that focus sparking creativity in children. Using popular fairy tales, Jen offers both a "Twisting Tales" workshop for younger and older grades as well as an editing workshop for older students. Her assemblies focus on how she went from a reluctant reader to a writer and how students can turn their own ideas into story magic.

The Erie Canal Museum offers Field Trips Experiences Tailored for the 2nd, 4th, 7th, and High School curriculum, however we welcome students of any age and classrooms of any size. A field Trip experience includes an hour-long docent-led indoor tour, with the option of an additional hour-long outdoor walking tour. Lesson plans are available for pre-visit and post-visit enrichment. Lunch space is available upon request. Financial Assistance is available. If you would like to bring your students to the Erie Canal Museum, reach out today.

Unleash your inner scientist in these large, interactive science shows! Nutty Scientists Hudson Valley brings affordable and fun science shows to your school – designed to ignite children’s curiosity and foster an environment where the entire audience feels encouraged to participate. Each show has an imaginative storyline coupled with 6-8 hands-on exciting experiments. With Nutty Scientists, kids get to touch, jump, yell, vibrate, form and test hypotheses. We aim to boost children’s curiosity about science and confidence in themselves! Age: 4-12 Length: 45 minutes Size: Suitable for up to 200 kids, but we do back-to-back performances for more. Prices: $375 for one show or $300/show for 2 or more shows + travel fee (call for info). Funding can be used from BOCES Arts and Education category OR the Exploratory Enrichment category. Shows: Ice Age Show: The kids will help our scientist overcome incredible challenges within the secret forest of Merlin the Wizard by performing exciting experiments. Students will be immersed in a sensory experience surrounding the amazing properties of CO2 and dry ice while exploring states of matter, sublimation, chemical reactions, pressure, forces, and more. Cast Away Show: Help our Nutty Scientist who is lost on a desert island! Kids will help the lost scientist get food, water and signal for rescue. Along the way they'll fire rockets, make slime, shoot smoke rings, and see amazing electrical demonstrations with a Van De Graaff generator! Fun Mission to Space Show: The Nutty Scientists has been entrusted with a maximum-security space mission. What will it take to survive in space? Where in the solar system should we land? To answer these questions students will assist with crazy experiments. They will learn about the planets, gravity, orbits, properties of sound, near-vacuum conditions, atmospheric pressure, and volcanic reactions! Kids will also help make a comet using the same elements that are found in real comets. Ignite Curiosity! Think Nutty!

Explore Frederic Church’s masterwork, Olana, through a field trip, virtual tour, or professional development! During each program, participants learn more about the art, culture, and history of Olana and the Hudson River Valley through place-based learning activities and lessons. Each offering can be modified to suit classroom and curriculum needs. FIELD TRIPS include a historic house tour and Landscape Walk and cost $10 per student. Add-on art workshops cost an additional $5 per student and include all artmaking materials. Students will leave with a completed work of art. All themes can be tailored to meet specific curriculum goals and student needs. Themes include: 1. "Place as Inspiration" where students learn how Church and his contemporaries were inspired by the Hudson Valley before exploring how they can connect to and advocate for important places in their own lives and communities. 2. "Land as Canvas" where students consider nature as a source of creativity and invention in Olana's designed landscape, collecting natural materials to observe patterns in local flora and fauna. 3. "Sketching as Seeing" where students dive into Frederic Church’s artistic process and experiment with his outdoor sketching (plein air) techniques. 4. "Adventures in Architecture" where students learn more about how global architectural traditions influenced Frederic Church’s design of Olana’s historic house and explore his handling of scale, engineering, and design. VIRTUAL TOURS can be tailored to meet specific curriculum goals and classroom needs and conducted via Zoom or Google Meet, and other platforms by request. All virtual sessions are designed to be 1 hour in length and can be scaled for various age ranges, groups, and audiences. All field trips and virtual tours are for grades PreK-12 and other education groups. $5-$15 per student. FREE for schools in Columbia and Greene Counties. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT days for teachers and administrators can be booked upon request and include a tour of the historic house and landscape, a workshop session, and use of the Wagon House Education Center. Please contact education@olana.org to learn more.

Created to serve school districts, college, libraries, and theaters across Upstate New York, CNY Jazz Management is dedicated to the educational mission of the CNY Jazz Arts Foundation, the region’s primary provider of jazz programming in concert, cabaret, scholastic and festival settings in schools and in public. Our core cultural history shows are available separately or in a group: All That Jazz, a whirlwind history of jazz; Blues Shout, a history of male blues and jazz singers of the 20th Century; Music & Musket, exploring the role of the musician in the Civil War; and Jazz On Demand, unlocking the secrets of songwriting and listening creatively! All programs are narrated and include a vocabulary/teacher’s guide. We also offer full-day or multi-day residencies by all of our large ensembles, with or without national guest soloist/teaching artists, co-designed with you to fit your program needs – clinics, jams, and grand concerts. you may preview all of our shows and watch an overview of our entire arts-in-education service at the video link on our web site. Contact us for more information about presenting any of our offerings in your school!

We offer engaging author visits to schools and organizations, either virtually or in person with our author(s) and book character(s). Each 45-minute assembly is designed for students in Pre-K through 4th grade and includes a read-aloud from a book of your choice, interactive storytelling with music, games, and lively discussion. Students will also have access to discounted pricing on books. These read-aloud sessions aren’t just entertaining—they’re educational. They help motivate children to read, strengthen their comprehension, expand vocabulary, and introduce language patterns not typically heard in everyday conversation. Students are encouraged to make meaningful connections between the stories and their own lives, making reading both fun and relevant.