Michelle Rooks

“The Interview Project is continued programming funded by 2019 and 2020 SEL Innovation Award. Based on SEL programming by Dr. Pamela Hayes and adapted from HaHaSo bullying prevention program (Help; Assert Yourself; Humor; Avoid; Self-Talk; Own It), Middle School AVID teacher, Michelle Rooks, and Gender-based Violence Prevention Specialist, Dr. Karin Waidley, created a framework methodology (ADDRESSING/BaHaHaSo) to identify individuals in our community who have overcome different types of adversity experienced due to discrimination. Students then conduct interviews to support their curiosity about fellow community members and their ability to overcome challenges. This programming is conducted in both English and Spanish (see videos on website) where students together create a living archive as ethical curators of others' experiences. With mentorship, students devise questions, conduct interviews which are documented, recorded and then edited and archived on a website created specifically for the project. Through the interview process, students carry out dynamic, mixed-methods research as well as engaging on a personal level with community members they may see themselves reflected in or striving to be. Archiving interviews makes them available for other students, teachers, administrators and community members who wish to expand their knowledge about the underrepresented people who live in the community and student populations who feel similar. Maintaining the resource will keep the individuals who have been interviewed vibrant and robust for present and future student populations but will also create sustainability for the project as the archive can be added to and reproduced continuously.”