Chautauquans receive national recognition

RENO -- University of Nevada, Reno English professor Susan Tchudi thinks highly of the Great Basin Young Chautauqua program she coordinates.

"I consider it an enormous part of my service," she says. "There are a lot of cool things about it. I'm an English teacher, so what's interesting to me is the reading and language development and the kids' confidence in being able to stand before 400 people and recreate a character."

In November, the program received a $10,000 "Coming Up Taller" award from the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, together with the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

When Tchudi took over as coordinator six years ago, her prime directive has been that all of the children get to perform.

Tchudi has seen the program grow during the years from a handful of kids in 1994 to as many as 60 to 80 students who enter the program at the beginning of the year.

Most of the students are from upper elementary school through middle school.

In Nevada, the Young Chautauqua program, the first of its kind in the nation, has extended to Carson City, Fernley and Henderson. Tchudi has also been a consultant to other states developing similar programs.

She's written a handbook showing community leaders and teachers how to create a Young Chautauqua program, and she's also put together a guide for students, walking them through the process of creating an historical character.

For information about the Young Chautauqua program, call Alex Newman at the Nevada Humanities Committee, (775) 784-6587.

The Carson Valley Young Chautauquan Program will begin its third year at 7 p.m. Jan. 22 with a meeting at the Carson Valley Museum in Gardnerville.

Then the group will meet for workshops and practice every other Tuesday night until mid-June.

Participants will choose characters from history to research and portray.

The program is open to students in the fourth through 12th grades.

Contact Grace Bower, (775) 265-6097 or Cherry Jones, (775) 267-3410.