b'T TR RO OP PE ER RN L 0 2 A U N N A 1 R 2 4 E V I T R A A T N V 1 R A I E 4 2 0 2 A R A N N U A LByJen McCool,Northeast Regional Manager CT, PA, DE, MD, DC, and OHByAshley Pinciaro,Its impossible to talk aboutNar- plementing N4 in advisory anddents. While it may have been rative 4s (N4) work in schools student clubs. And the Universityeasier for some of these schoolsNortheast Regional Manager over the last year and not haveof Maryland is planning a uni- to bring their N4 programs to aME, MA, NJ, NY, NH, VT, and RIthe COVID pandemic take centerversity-wide rollout of N4 duringfull close, theyve instead chosen stage. Until fall of 2021, mostthis school year; theyve alreadyto restart the story exchange in students in the Northeast hadstartedtraining over 60 membersan effort to foster student re- Throughout the winter and springin this space again? How do weHigh School of Commerce in been either fully virtual or in aof their faculty as facilitators.connection and re-engagement.of 2021, many students in thebuild connection and share theSpringfield, MA, developedhybrid learning model for almostSeton Hill University in Greens- For instance, Amity Regionalupper-Northeast region attendedstories of the last year and a halfsummer school programming 18 months. When most of your dayburg, PA has continued their N4High School in Woodbridge, CTschool virtually. Even when doorsamong our students and our staffusing N4 resources, and schools is spent staring into a computerwork with community and K-12conducted a story exchange asto the buildings opened in theteams? like Casco Bay High School in screen, its pretty difficult to feelschool partnerships and haspart of their school-wide Dayspring, many students remainedThis crisis of connection andPortland, ME, and Rhinebeck connected or engaged with yourreceived a grant from the Nationalof Dialogue this fall, while Highat home.these questions have led to anHigh School in Rhinebeck, NY, peers, let alone empathetic.Endowment for the Humanities toSchool in the Community inAs Narrative 4 (N4) engagedeven greater interest in N4s workused the story exchange this What has given me the mostincorporate the story exchangeNew Haven, CT completed a 9thwith more and more administra- and the story exchanges impact.September with their upper-hope during the pandemic though,into a two-week summer institutegrade/12th grade exchange fortors and educators throughoutSchools like International Com- classmen. is how many schools and teacherson how K-12 educators can teachover 130 students. These schoolsthe Northeast, we continued tomunity High School in Bronx, NY,Each of these schools part-and facilitators still find the N4about genocide.are telling us that they see greathear the same thingThis is aNew Design High School in Newnered with N4 to not only build story exchange essential. Even inPerhaps the most significantvalue in the story exchange; itscrisis of connection.York City, and Millennium Brook- empathy, but to also rebuild the the midst of a global pandemic,indicator that N4 is vitally neededa way for students to reconnect,Administrators and teacherslyn High School in Brooklyn haveconnection and culture in their teachers and students signed onin the American educationalre-engage, and it helps smoothbegan asking questions like, all trained over 20 N4 facilitatorsschools as they headed back to to be trained as N4 facilitators.system, is that some of our part- the transition back to in-personHow do we rebuild our school to use the story exchange withfull, in-person learning this fall. For example, this year, Metropoli- ner schools had to take an N4learning. I cant think of a higherculture after 18 months away fromtheir students on a monthly basis. tan Business Academy in New hiatus during 2020 and 2021 andrecommendation for the work N4the building? How do we helpSchools like the Urban Institute Haven, CT trained 14 of their are now returning to N4 to use theis doing.students feel safe and welcomeof Mathematics in Bronx, NY, and faculty and an amazing cohort story exchange as a way to re-of student leaders to start im- build those bridges between stu- As Narrative 4 (N4) engaged with more and more administrators and educa-tors throughout the Northeast, we continued to hear the same thingThis is What has given me the most hope during the pandemic is how many schoolsa crisis of connection.This led to an even greater interest in N4s workand teachers and facilitators still find the N4 story exchange essential. and the story exchanges impact.8 9'