As Brown Summer High School (BSHS) kicks off another exciting program of learning, two familiar faces are stepping into new leadership roles. Alums Rose Houglet MAT ‘25 and Sam Weiner MAT ‘25 are serving as the program's principals, guiding its day-to-day operations and supporting the new cohort of Master of Arts in Teaching students.
Each year, incoming MAT students begin their degree program by teaching at BSHS, a morning enrichment program for local high school students. This immersive experience is bolstered by the guidance of mentor teachers, Brown University Education Department faculty and staff, and two MAT alumni serving in the principal roles.
"Working as a teacher for BSHS last summer gave me a lot of insights into how principals can effectively support instruction and build a strong community," said Rose. “I hope to provide the kinds of structures MATs need to be able to focus on refining their pedagogical skills and feel a part of a caring team.”
Sam added, “I'm really excited to get to know all the incoming MATs and witness all the unique perspectives they are bringing to their budding teaching careers.”
From Classroom to Leadership: A Passion for Social Studies and Storytelling
Both Sam and Rose specialized in Social Studies education and taught a media literacy and storytelling course at BSHS last summer. Their students created compelling storybooks exploring their own identities and their relationship to contemporary and historical media.
When envisioning an ideal BSHS course, Sam's creativity shines: “If I could design a BSHS course, I would study the history of divas, from Barbra Streisand to Taylor Swift. I would look at how beauty standards, media literacy, and the progression of intersectional social movements have impacted the perception of artists over time.”
Rose's ideal course would integrate arts and perspective-taking into historical study. "I was lucky enough to engage students at Hope High School last year in a multi-step project where they assumed the perspective of early unionists during Industrialization and produced and presented a detailed poster in a museum exhibit," she explained. “I'd love to do something similar that engages students' relationship to Providence and an actor in history who shares their vantage to create an arts-based final product.”
Why Return to BSHS?
Both Sam and Rose cited their prior work with Providence-area students as a key reason for their return to BSHS. "BSHS felt like a meaningful way for me to close off my time working with Providence youth and in the MAT program," Rose shared. “I especially appreciate the chance to witness substantive, thoughtful teaching in a setting focused on joy and community-building.”
At the conclusion of this summer’s BSHS program, both Rose and Sam plan to return to full-time classroom teaching. Rose will teach government and economics at a public continuation school in Oakland, CA, "enjoying lots of sunshine." Sam will join a charter school in San Francisco to teach AP government and, she jokingly adds, "delusionally, becoming a world-champion surfer."