"I believe that my greatest impact as an educator is in bringing people together to create dynamic learning environments," says Ann O'Grady, who teaches in the Gifted and Talented program at Nelson W. Aldrich Junior High School in Warwick. Two years ago, Dr. O'Grady initiated the Pawtuxet River Watershed Education Program, an interdisciplinary pilot program that has brought together students from the five school districts that border the river. Working with three environmental agencies, the program includes water monitoring, shoreline survey techniques, mock land-use hearings as well as a teacher-training program and curriculum guide. Dr. O'Grady, who has also directed or produced more than two dozen musicals at her school, is particularly proud of two student-written productions, the proceeds of which have helped support a local homeless shelter and build a classroom in Haiti.
1971 Rhode Island College, B.A.
