Current Projects
Developer of Multi-media Teacher Training Manual: Currently creating a multi-media (film, web, and print) training manual to be used in educator training workshops demonstrating the aspects and design of the successful STAR School 3 to-3rd Project. Chapters include: "A Focus on Math – (1) High Quality Materials", "A Focus on Math (2) - Áhi'iltaa, Math in Cultural Context", "A Focus on Math (3) - The Math Relationship", "Multilingual Cognition (1) - Sign Language", "Multilingual Cognition (2) - Navajo Language", "Place-Based Education", "Supportive School Culture (1) - Integrating Local Indigenous Values", "Supportive School Culture (2) - Community in Partnership", "Prepared Environment", and "Assessing Student Development".Project made possible by a grant through The Rural School And Community Trust to the STAR School.
Lead Educator Workshops: Work with a multi-school consortium throughout the Navajo Nation through the Federal Safe Schools / Healthy Students Initiative teaching educators how to integrate place-based media arts projects into their curriculums to facilitate digital storytelling, filmmaking, and other media arts projects that specifically develop peer leadership skills, effective communication, creative and critical thinking, teamwork, and enable a deep engagement in the subject matter.
Media Arts Educator: Work with STAR School students teaching the Place-Based Media Arts curriculum to create Films and Digital Story Telling Projects. Beginning with pre-production through production, post-production, and to public presentation and screenings.
Curriculum Design, Place-Based Media Arts: Designed and wrote the full curriculum for integrating Media Arts / Media Literacy and Place-Based Education. Curriculum is appropriate for working with students from Middle School to Adult Learners.
Education Work
STAR School. 2004 – 2005, 2009 – present. I am privileged to teach Place-Based Media Arts at the first off-grid, all solar and wind powered charter school in the country. STAR is located 30 miles East of Flagstaff, AZ and serves the Southwest Edge of the Navajo Nation, pre-K – Jr. High. STAR is internationally recognized as a leader in Place-based Education. Other duties I have been honored to perform at STAR include Consultant, Jr. High and Elementary Place-based Teacher, Early Childhood, Language Arts, Social Studies, Theatre Arts, Administrator for No Child Left Behind Federal Requirement / Title 1 / Testing Coordinator, and to direct the 2006 Arizona Promising Practices in the Arts Award winning project, Tolchaco. a play written and performed by my students about a local historical event. STAR School 145 Leupp Rd. Flagstaff, AZ 86004 (602) 412 3533
Curriculum Research and Home-schooling, 2008 - 2009. Using the curriculum I wrote for my thesis, I home-schooled my eighth grade daughter to improve her academic skills, re-engage her in our community, and most importantly remind her of her love of learning.
Northland Preparatory Academy, 2001 – 2004. Flagstaff, AZ. Middle School Honors English, Middle and High School Drama.
Hillsborough County School District, 1991 – 2000 Tampa, FL. 5th Grade Personalized Education Program (PEP) Teacher.
Barnard-White Middle School, Union City, CA 1998 – 1999 8th Grade Core Teacher - Language Arts and History
Rocky Ridge School, Rocky Ridge, AZ 1997 - 1998 Student Teacher and Served as the Consolidated School Reform Plan - Committee Manager.
Film Projects
A Focus on Math: Section 1 - High Quality Materials - This short film illustrates the use of guided instruction with high quality Montessori math materials for multi-sensory exploration of math concepts in the STAR School 3-to-3rd (Age 3 to Grade 3) project. This is one in a series of three short films demonstrating how and why the STAR School's 3-to-3rd project focuses on math.
A Focus on Math: Section 2 - Áhi'iltaa, Mathi in Cultural Context - This short film illustrates the use of Dine' (Navajo) Language and Culture in the math curriculum in the STAR School 3-to-3rd project. This is the second in a series of three short films demonstrating how and why the STAR School's 3-to-3rd (Age 3 to Grade 3) project focuses on math.
A Focus on Math: Section 3 - The Math Relationship - This short film illustrates how the STAR School 3-to-3rd Project recognizes the Relationship of Math to the world within their curriculum. This is the third in a series of three short films demonstrating how and why the STAR School's 3-to-3rd (Age 3 to Grade 3) project focuses on math.
Multilingual Cognition: Section 1 - Sign Language - The STAR School 3-to-3rd Project infuses both American Sign and Navajo Languages throughout the daily curriculum. This short film, part 1 in a 2 part series, looks at the benefits of using American Sign Language with children age 3 to grade 3.
Multilingual Cognition: Section 2 - Navajo Language - The STAR School 3-to-3rd (Age 3 to Grade 3) Project infuses both American Sign and Navajo Languages throughout the daily curriculum. This short film, part 2 in a 2 part series, looks at the use of Navajo Language within this program.
Place-Based Education: The STAR 3-to-3rd Model - A short film demonstrating how STAR School utilizes Place-Based Education in the 3-to-3rd (Age 3 to Grade 3) classes. STAR is the 1st all off-grid charter school in the country, and is recipient of the 2012 Dpt. of Ed. Green Ribbon Award. STAR is located on the southwestern edge of the Navajo Nation and serves a majority indigenous population.
STAR Peacemaking - An Educational Documentary in which STAR (Service To All Relations) School Students and Staff Demonstrate how Navajo Peacemaking is Taught and Implemented to Create a Compassionate and Responsive School Environment.
The Making of Yellow Woman, A Demonstration of Place-Based Media Arts - Rachel Tso's Thesis Film on Place-Based Media Arts. Chronicles the making of Camille Manybeads Tso's award winning film, "In the Footsteps of Yellow Woman" as a Demonstration Project. Submitted to Northern Arizona University in partial fulfillment for the Degree of Master of Arts Sustainable Communities, December 2010.
STAR School Films: Numerous Place-based media arts film projects with students from the STAR School. Below are a few highlights.
RedBird Saves the Corn - Traditional Navajo Spider Woman story retold through lightbox animation by STAR School students Larissa Luther, Taylor Long, Makyla Allison. Demonstration of integration of Native Literature, Literacy, and Place-Based Media Arts.
Ta'chee - STAR School 8th grade student William John explores the traditional meaning and reasons for the Ta'chee (sweatlodge) ceremony.
Doo'ko'oosliid - Dine' youth-made film about their and their community's relationship with the San Francisco Peaks
Nitsidigo’i’ - winner 2010 Arizona Student Film Festival Grand Prize and 1st Place Microshort. A Documentary Short about the making of Kneel Down Bread with Kindergarten students.
STAR Energy - winner 2011 Arizona Student Film Festival Grand Prize and 1st Place Microshort. A Documentary Short about Solar and Wind Energy use at the STAR School.
Coyote and the Stars - A Demonstration of integrating Native Literature and Place-Based Media Arts.
Executive Producer, In the Footsteps of Yellow Woman - by Camille Manybeads Tso, 2009. A 26 minute Docu-Drama about a 13 year old who finds her own strengths through making a documentary film about her Grandmother and their ancestral history. She imagines what it would be like to be her Great-Great-Grandmother, Yellow Woman, who lived through the Navajo Long Walk of 1864 - 1868. The re-enactments were performed by the descendants of Yellow Woman and filmed in many of the places where the historical events actually took place. Filmed by Camille Manybeads Tso as her eighth grade project as a demonstration of Place-based Media Arts Education under the Direction of Rachel Tso. AWARDS: The Dolphin (Young Filmmaker) – Moondance Film Festival; Best Youth Film of the Year, Best Actor, Best Script – Cowichan Aboriginal Film Festival ; Special Student Recognition – Lake Arrowhead Film Festival; Most Innovative Short – Eckerd Film Festival; Best Documentary Short – Red Nation Film Festival 2009; Best Student Dramatic Short - Southeastern Native American Indian Film and Video Festival 2009; Best Student Docudrama - International Cherokee Film Festival 2009
Outta Your Backpack Media Films. Mentored multiple films, including Child of Water, Underage Drinking, Stick Mania, 3 Questions of Homelessness, Save the Peaks March, The Sun Sets on Twilight. All viewable at http://oybm.org/videos/
Howard Shanker For Congress Campaign Commercial 2008, Filmmaker.
Crimes Against Humanity: Voices from Big Mountain 1994, A Documentary Film about the Navajo - Hopi Land Dispute told by the youth of Big Mountain. Producer, Senior Project. Antioch College, 1994. 28 minutes. This project followed the model set by "Shoot Back" by providing access to filmmaking equipment and instruction on how to make a documentary film to the youth of an area in crisis.
Additional Camera Work: Unplug Stereotypes - Public Service Announcement, Native American TV. Tears, Radmilla Cody Music Video 2006. Beautiful Dawn Song Radmilla Cody Music Video 2005.
My Education
Master of Arts Sustainable Communities, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ. 2010 Concentration: Place-Based Media Arts. Honored as Head of The Class. Thesis: Place Based Media Arts Education: The Making of Yellow Woman, A Demonstration Project.
Relevant Coursework: Documentary Filmmaking; Education for a Sustainable Future; Place-Based Education; Film and the Other; Community Technology and Values; Elements of Communities
In-Services, Teacher Trainings and Workshops: Various Subjects including Technology in the Classroom, Filmmaking, Editing, Animation, Arts in the Classroom, Shakespeare in the classroom, Improvisation, Writing for Standardized Tests, Tribes Training, Personalized Student Education
Elementary Education Certificate, Prescott College, Prescott AZ. Center for Indian Bilingual Teacher Training: Elementary Education Teaching Certificate Program. 1998
Baccalaureate of Arts Environmental Communications Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH Concentration: Documentary Film
National Outdoor Leadership School, Lander, WY Semester in the Rockies, Biology.
Florida School of the Arts, Palatka, FL Theatre Arts, 1989
School for Arts and Innovative Learning, Tallahassee, FL High School Diploma, 1988 Concentration: Theatre
Community Involvement
Active community participant and volunteer. I participate in various capacities throughout my community and volunteer with several organizations. I have been an active volunteer with the Save the Peaks Coalition, worked with Outta Your Backpack Media, served on the Plateau Group Executive Committee of the Sierra Club in 2009, and I volunteered for the Howard Shanker for Congress2008 Campaign, I directed the 2006 It’s the Peaks: “It’s All Connected”, Directed Youth of the Peaks Theatre 2004 - 2006 and have also volunteered with multiple Black Mesa Indigenous Rights Organizations since1992. I also attend, and often videotape events that are important to my community, such as city council or chapter meetings. As a teacher, and a mother, I am also often volunteering at school fundraisers and community events.
Outta Your Backpack Media. I volunteered with OYBM from 2004 – 2010 with as a collective member, coordinator, filmmaking mentor, and acting teacher. I helped to facilitate youth learning the critical skills of media literacy and media justice, along with a remarkable and inspiring team of youth, and mentors. I coordinated media arts / literacy workshops of multiple lengths and for multiple age groups, Taught skills in all phases of production, such as, research, interviewing skills, script writing, location scouting, auditioning, working with actors, directing, producing, audio, lighting, camera, logging, capturing, transferring, editing, dvd production, and presenting. I also researched opportunities for the youth to participate in and submitted works to film festivals such as the Smithsonians’ Native American Film + Video Festival and the Global Green Indigenous Film Festival.
Other Volunteer Work includes Technical Assistant at the 2009 and 2010 Native Lens Longhouse Media Superfly 36 hour Filmmaking Challenge.
Additional Skills
Technology Skills:
Computer Software: Mac Operating Systems, Final Cut Pro 7 Studio Suite (FCP&, Motion, Soundtrack Pro, DVD Pro, Color, Compressor) Final Draft, Celtx, Adobe Photoshop CS5, MS Office, Basic Joomla, Google Sites and other Google Education programs.
Equipment: HD and SD 3CCD Professional Digital Video, Digital SL Camera, Lighting for Film and Stage, Audio of Film and Stage, Computer, Printer, DVD/CD Burner, Digital Projector, Overhead Projector, Photocopier, Fax Machine, Scanner.
Other: I also have experience with press, writing releases, contacting press, researching appropriate performance or screening venues, community organizing, and I’m a safe driver. I have been involved with community and local theatre since I was a small child. I began teaching Drama professionally at the age of 19 and continue to have a love for all things theatrical. I’ve produced and directed numerous plays, most notably It’s All Connected, It’s the Peaks 2006, Youth of the Peaks Guerilla Theatre 2006, and Tolchaco, the Padre Canyon Incident, 2005.
