Our Educators

Maddy Wegner co-taught Somali Ethnic Studies with Abdirizak at Heritage Academy during the 2019–2020 school year. Her work focused on developing students' writing, interviewing, research, and storytelling skills throughout the course. Middle school students created bilingual Somali/English children's books for younger students, while high school students interviewed Somali-American community leaders and learned journalistic practices such as conducting primary-source interviews, summarizing, selecting quotations, and writing profiles. The high school students' work ultimately became a booklet titled Conversations with Somali-American Leaders, demonstrating how the curriculum encourages students to become researchers and storytellers. Maddy has taught middle and high school English Language Arts in public and independent schools from Vermont to California. She has also developed curricula centered on service-learning, civic engagement, and peace-building for organizations including the National Youth Leadership Council and Amnesty International. She holds a B.A. in American Studies, a master's degree in Journalism, and certification to teach secondary Language Arts.