Purpose Statement:

The Dear Michelle project is committed to giving our future leaders a voice in the nation’s public conversation. Through this project, students will learn the art of writing narrative letters and employing technology to create their stories through digital storytelling. This project will encourage students to write narratives regarding relevant events in their lives for the purpose of informing our present national leaders about those personal events.  Everyone has stories to tell. Stories represent who we are and help bring together our real-life daily adventures, cultural diversity, and shared experiences. Students will include in these narratives their personal history, culture, perspective, and belief system and illustrate them with a variety of family artifacts and photographs. Participants will use a wealth of Web 2.0 tools to develop the 21st Century Skills which are necessary to become successful and productive members of our society. As a culminating activity, students will attend a digital film camp during the summer in which they will turn their narrative letters into digital films. Students will also publish their narrative letters in a book and send them to First Lady Michelle Obama.

Mission and Goals:

The mission of the Dear Michelle project is to provide all students a place to express themselves and be a part of the public conversation regarding our country. The Dear Michelle project is committed to and focused on making a difference in the lives of each of its citizens. The project mission is:

• To give students opportunities to develop and refine their writing skills to ensure access to the conversation;
• To encourage students to share their personal stories and give them a safe place to do so;
• To foster a sense of community through discussions and sharing;
• To develop digital story techniques and a place to share those stories;
• To continually assess the needs of an ever-growing and changing community.

Ann Richard’s School for Young Women Leaders is a school with the mission to give all girls a voice. We strive to create a variety of opportunities for our girls to be heard.  This Dear Michelle project will provide an opportunity for the girls to have unique experiences using technology and provide this group of girls the additional support of our district’s Instructional Technology Team.  This can be measured through the enthusiasm and final products created by our select group of students.

Dear Michelle Project PSA: