TAFT HIGH'S JERRILYN JACOBS RECEIVES THE 2017 MY HERO MEDIA ARTS EDUCATOR AWARD

CONTACT: Wendy Milette                         FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Director of Media 
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949-376-5964

TAFT HIGH SCHOOL'S JERRILYN JACOBS RECEIVES 2017 MY HERO MEDIA ARTS EDUCATOR AWARD

Jerrilyn Jacobs - winner of 2017 MY HERO Arts Educator AwardMHSANTA MONICA, CA – 11/04/2017 - The winner of the 2017 MY HERO Media Arts Educator Award is Jerrilyn Jacobs of Taft High School. The annual Media Arts Educator Award is given to a teacher who challenges students to master media, art and technology with a purpose of telling stories that matter. The award will be presented at the MY HERO International Film Festival on Nov. 11th at New Roads School in Santa Monica. 

For the last 16 years, Jacobs has been mentoring students from all walks of life and from many different cultures to be critical thinkers and media makers at Taft High School. Jerrilyn has worked tirelessly to bring state of the art technology to her students by writing grants and pleading for support for this important program. In a school system slammed with budget constraints, Jerrilyn has been able to move mountains. She created a very special place for students to grow and learn in her Taft High media lab.

MY HERO co-founder and director, Jeanne Meyers said, "I met Jerrilyn in 1980 when she and her students won an award at the Rhode Island Film Festival for their documentary, "Life in Little Rhodie (R.I)." It was clear to me then that Jerrilyn understood the power of using media to create awareness and positive change in the world. From the beginning, Jerrilyn has been mentoring me and our team at MY HERO, helping Jerrilyn Jacobs and Mohamed SidibayThe MY HERO Projectus create lesson plans and teacher training materials as well as helping us with outreach at International Educational Conferences. (iste.org)"

Today, because of her efforts, the students at Taft High School have access to the latest technology. She has worked tirelessly to raise the bar for students at her school. Students at Taft High School have taken field trips to the Skirball Museum, The Getty, and Mole-Richardson to learn about video, photography and culture. Jerrilyn has hosted filmmaker and teacher Chiekh Darou Seck from Senegal and Human Rights Activist, Mohamed Sidibay from Sierra Leone to speak to the students and teachers at Taft who packed the auditorium to learn about their experiences using media to bridge both a cultural and digital divide and to raise awareness about social justice.

Over the years, students from Taft have contributed stories, art and films to MY HERO. This year several short films from Jerrilyn's media class were recognized as finalists and winners in our International Film Festival.

Jerrilyn Jacobs, a passionate educator, has been helping us build MY HERO, providing ongoing support and training for our team. Present and former students at Taft High School, and all of us at MY HERO, are fortunate to have had her guidance and support.

Visit MY HERO to learn more about Jerrilyn Jacobs.

EDUCATOR PANEL @ ISTE - Bringing the exploration of Heroism into the Classroom
To view all the winning films from The MY HERO International Film Festival visit: http://myhero.com/Winners