As Brown Summer High School (BSHS) wrapped up its July session this year, two new after-school programs gave local high schoolers room to explore creative expression outside the traditional classroom. Digital Storytelling and Creative Writing, both funded by a grant from the Brown Arts Institute (BAI), let students spend their afternoons writing, filming and building projects entirely their own.
The two courses were led by Anne Overton and Tiago Sachs Negreiros Vicente, MAT ‘26. BSHS also offered a sports-focused after-school program.
Digital Storytelling
Overton adapted the Digital Storytelling curriculum from Brett Pierce's Meridian Stories, a set of projects designed to teach students storytelling and media skills. Key components of the approach include creative thinking, collaboration, a focus on the artistic process and helping students find their own voice through creative expression.
Working with Pierce, Overton condensed what would typically be a three-week unit into BSHS's five-day timeline. Students worked together on a short video, moving from rough ideas to a finished project; some composing a collective story, others documenting a process like building a board game.
"Being able to work with Brett in the first place, and to purchase his curriculum, would not have been possible without the funding from Brown Arts Institute: that funding created the opportunity, full stop," Overton said.
The format also gave Overton room to hand creative control to her students each week."I am not the teacher of this class; you are in charge of your group and your project," Overton told each new group. "I'm a resource, I know the process, and I'm here to help when you ask for it, but otherwise these are your stories to tell; your problems to solve; your decisions to make."
That approach reflects a foundational principle of Overton's own pedagogy, which centers students as sources of knowledge and ability in their own right. "Watching students learn to engage in a collaborative creative process from start to finish was inspiring," she shared.
Creative Writing
Vicente's Creative Writing course ran across the same five-day span, introducing students to a range of formats while building core skills like writing stamina, workshopping with peers, and reading like a writer. Each student produced one piece of writing for the class's Writing Portfolio, presented during Family and Friends Night.
"The BAI grant was extremely helpful to give students equal access to writing, letting them focus on developing their writing abilities," Vicente said. Funding covered portable notebooks and basic writing materials, as well as supplies like markers and divider bins that made additional activities possible. Having their own materials, Vicente added, also helped build a sense of community and pride in students' work.
One early-week activity stood out: students wrote incomplete parts of a story, then passed it to a partner to continue without direct communication between authors. When the group began sharing the results, Vicente said the students' response set the tone for the rest of the program.
"Many of the students went out of their way to praise the writing they had received before reading it, especially from classmates who were hesitant to show their work," Vicente said, adding that students "elevated each other" whenever a peer seemed uncertain. This dynamic was visible across all the cohorts.
Among the pieces in the final portfolio, one student's series of haikus stood out. The student told Vicente he had no previous writing experience, which was part of why he joined the course. He chose the haiku form specifically because he had never encountered it before and wanted to try something new. The student’s choice speaks to his growth and the encouragement he received from classmates over the course of the week.
Encouraging Confidence
Across both programs, students were encouraged to take ownership of their ideas, experiment with unfamiliar forms, and learn from one another. For Overton and Vicente, the experience also underscored the value of creating spaces where students can see themselves not only as learners, but as writers, storytellers and artists.
The Brown Arts Institute grant ultimately allowed BSHS students creative freedom and access to new mediums by giving them the tools and confidence to tell their stories. In addition to these programs, the grant funded other resources for BSHS students such as materials for the science and English courses and special guest speakers.