Cleveland Branch ESU
Jerry Grdina, President
19101 Van Aken Boulevard
Suite #526
Shaker Heights, OH 44122
(216-236-3401)
Contact us at:
cleveland@esuus.org
(site last updated, July 5, 2011)
Click for the Current Newsletter
29 Schools competed in the 2011 Shakespeare Competition at Playhouse Square. Finalists(from left): 1st Stephanie Wong (Hathaway Brown), 2nd Patricia O’Toole (St. Joseph), 3rd Denzale Reese (Cleveland School of the Arts), and runners-up Brian Hawersaat (Lyceum), Aden Wexberg (Hawken), Luke Szabados (Benedictine) |
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| Stephanie Wong, Cleveland Branch Winner, delivers her monologue at the ESU National Shakespeare Competition Finals in New York City’s Lincoln Center |
| 2011 BUSS Scholarship recipient, Ruth Holden of St. Joseph Academy attended “Teaching Shakespeare Through Performance” at London’s restored Globe Theater this summer. |
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"Better English...A Better World"
MISSION AND ORIGINS OF THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING UNION
The ESU celebrates English as a shared language to foster global understanding and good will by providing educational and cultural opportunities for students, educators, and members. There are 70 branches of the ESU in the U.S., as well as in more than 50 nations around the world.
The English-Speaking Union of the Commonwealth was launched in London in 1918 by journalist (later, Sir) Evelyn Wrench, to further friendship and understanding among English-speaking peoples around the world. The English-Speaking Union of the United States was founded in 1920, in the belief that people sharing a common language would understand that they shared similar values, regardless of nationality or background. Notable Chairmen of the ESU have included Sir Winston Churchill, of Britain, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, of the U.S..
| HISTORY OF THE CLEVELAND BRANCH
The Cleveland Branch was founded in 1923 under President John A. Penton of the Penton Publishing Co. The Branch disbanded at the end of World War II, to be re-activated in 1960 under the presidency of Dr. Harlan Hamilton, Professor of English at Western Reserve University (now CWRU)
HIGH SCHOOL SHAKESPEARE COMPETITION
Started in New York City schools in 1983, the ESU’s Shakespeare Competition has grown to a national program that has helped nearly 250,000 high school students develop their understanding of Shakespeare and their ability to communicate that understanding. Currently about 60 ESU Branches across the US sponsor Competitions.
The Shakespeare Competition has been the primary educational program of the Cleveland Branch for over 20 years. The 2011 Branch winner was Stephanie Wong of Hathaway Brown School (teacher: Ms. Molly Cornwell). Next year’s Cleveland Finals will be held at PlayhouseSquare on Saturday, February 25, 2012.
FOR TEACHERS:
SHAKESPEARE SET FREE INSTITUTE:
A program of The English-Speaking Union and
The Folger Shakespeare Library
See Details the 2012 Institute
OTHER CLEVELAND BRANCH ACTIVITIES
Books Across the Sea (and Across the City)
The Cleveland Branch, in collaboration with Third World Books, helps send quantities of English language children’s books to local schools in Africa, and provides many free books to needy students in Cleveland inner-city schools.
BUSS Scholarship
Cleveland Branch grants British University Summer School (BUSS) scholarships to Shakespeare Competition teachers for study in Britain. Teacher Gay Janis of Beachwood High School was the 2010 recipient. Teacher Ruth Holden of St. Joseph Academy will attend during the Summer of 2011.
Walter Hines Page Scholar
The ESU awards the Walter Hines Page Scholarship to promote the exchange of international educational ideas that advance teaching and learning. Educators from Britain, Commonwealth countries and Central and South America come to the U.S. to study recent developments in their academic field. Page Scholars visit regional branches, receiving home hospitality and transportation to educational institutions.
Evelyn Wrench Speaker
Evelyn Wrench Speakers address current events or subjects of cultural or historical interest. The 2010 Wrench Speaker, Mr. Peter Harris, spoke on “The Americanization of England”, November 4 at Nighttown.
English-in-Action
ESU promotes English-in-Action at the Branch level. Member volunteers pair with newcomers to the U.S. to help build self-confidence and skill in understanding and speaking English through one-on-one practice.
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