Frank Paul Elementary School, Salinas, California

At Frank Paul Elementary School in Salinas, California, the fifth-grade class of teacher Cliff Gilkey consisted of many students who were the children of migrant farmworkers. These children were just beginning to use English for their school work. Gilkey noted the lack of social studies materials describing the lives and achievements of Hispanic leaders at a level appropriate for his students. To bridge the gap--and, in the process, to create an engaged learning project--Gilkey had his students design and develop The Multicultural Heroes Project, a multimedia project describing the lives of local heroes from different ethnic groups. The children created videotapes and written texts focusing on local Hispanic, Vietnamese, and African-American leaders.

For more information, refer to Frank Paul Elementary School.