‘Hamilton’ takes 7 prizes at UK stage Olivier Awards [Beyond Education]

Historical hip-hop musical “Hamilton” took seven trophies including best new musical at British theater’s Olivier Awards, where women’s rights activists joined stage stars on the red carpet to support the Time’s Up movement. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical about U.S. founding father Alexander Hamilton was nominated in a record 13 categories at Britain’s equivalent of the Tony Awards. The show, which turns an early chapter of U.S. history into a compellingly modern story, opened in London in December after taking New York by storm.

Ex-Student Donates $1M To Honor Oregon Music Professor [On A Positive Note In Education]

A former University of Oregon student has donated $1 million to establish a faculty chair in the name of a longtime music professor who died in 1988. The donation from Timothy Foo will receive an additional $1 million match from the Presidential Fund for Excellence, a fund established last year by UO president Michael Schill after receiving a $50 million gift from an anonymous donor.

School Library <b> March 2018</b>

“I am so rich—with family, friends and story ideas.” Author Diana López has turned that richness of story ideas into an impressive career centered around creative writing. The director of undergraduate creative writing, as well as an associate professor of creative writing, at the University of Houston-Victoria, López has written short stories, essays, articles and novels, including “Confetti Girl,” which won Latinidad’s “Top Latino Book of the Year” for the middle grade category. One of her latest projects is the novelization of the Disney-Pixar’s Oscar-winning film “Coco” where she delves deeper into the backstory of several of the movie’s characters. And so it is our pleasure to feature the works of Diana López in this month’s School Library. Information and discussion guides are all courtesy of www.dianalopezbooks.com

Disney, Universal Studios And Other Local Companies Support MusicHelpsHeal.org And The Students From Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands [On A Positive Note In Education]

The MusicHelpsHeal.org program, which was started to help the students displaced from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands due to hurricane Maria, is using music to address the emotional and social needs caused by the storm. Many local businesses and organizations have donated instruments, and some have provided cash and grant opportunities.

50 High Schools Rise Above 1,000 Applicants To Claim NBC's R.I.S.E. America Grants [On A Positive Note In Education]

Fifty high schools have risen above 1,000 applicants to claim NBC's R.I.S.E. America grants. The program – inspired by the network's upcoming drama "Rise" about a high school theatre department and its effects on a small town – is awarding a half-million dollars to high school theatre programs across the country.

Cultural Powerhouse 'Coco' Wins Oscar For Best Animation [Beyond Education]

"Coco," the tear-jerking adventure tale of a Mexican boy who learns the importance of honoring his ancestors after getting stuck in an eye-popping netherworld of the dead, won the Oscar for best animated feature on Sunday. The Pixar film is one of the largest U.S. productions ever to feature an almost entirely Latino cast.

'Shape of Water' Triumphs At An Oscars Awash In Change [Beyond Education]

Guillermo del Toro's "The Shape of Water" swam away with best picture at an Oscar ceremony flooded by a sense of a change for a movie business confronting the post-Harvey Weinstein era. "The Shape of Water," which came in with 13 nods, took a leading four awards, including best production design, best score and best director for del Toro.

School Library February 2018

To call Juan Felipe Herrera an accomplished writer would be a gross understatement. Not only did one of his children’s book, “Calling the Doves,” win the Ezra Jack Keats Award and another of his works, “The Upside Down Boy,” was turned into a musical, but Herrera is also the first Latino to become a United States’ poet laureate. And so it is with great honor that we feature Herrera in this month’s school library. Information, Teacher’s Guides and Author Study Toolkit courtesy of Lee & Low Books.

William Paterson University Communication Students Travel to Puerto Rico to Help Restore Hurricane-ravaged Radio Station

Arizona University Gets $1.9M to Research Future of TV News [Education News]

Arizona State University's journalism school is getting nearly $2 million in funding to research the future of television news. The grant announced Thursday will go toward experiments in broadcast and digital storytelling. It will also fund the establishment of an online hub where TV newsrooms can share research and innovations.

Disney Offering Staff $1,000 Bonuses, New Education Funding

The Walt Disney Co. will give more than 125,000 eligible employees a one-time $1,000 cash bonus and invest $50 million in an education funding program. Nearly 88,000 hourly employees will be eligible for the education program which will cover tuition costs. Along with the initial $50 million investment, the Burbank, California company will provide up to $25 million annually for the program.

List of Nominees for the 90th Annual Academy Awards [Beyond Education]

The 90th annual Academy Awards nominees for the categories Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Directing, Foreign Language Film, Adapted Screenplay, Original Screenplay, Animated Feature Film, Production Design, Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Original Score, Original Song, Documentary Feature, Documentary (short subject), Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film and Visual Effects.