SACRAMENTO – Ann Brigden may be small in stature but she is big when it comes to keeping the peace among young people. For the past twelve years, she has been leading a group of volunteers called the “Peacemakers,” who teach communication and conflict resolution at schools around the city of Carson. Mrs. Brigden will be honored as a California State Lottery Hero in Education on "The Big Spin®" show airing statewide March 31, 2007.
Mrs. Bridgen will be presented with the award by Angela Cartwright, an actress who has been in the public eye since she was three years old. She has worked with great actors such as, Paul Newman, Rock Hudson, Sidney Poitier, Michael Caine and Sally Field. Cartwritght is best known for playing Brigitta Von Trapp in the timeless musical “The Sound of Music” and Penny Robinson on the classic science fiction show “Lost in Space”.
Mrs. Brigden is the liaison between the school and the volunteers. She has developed a curriculum that teaches young people how to solve problems without violence. Some of the lessons include teaching fourth and fifth graders to be student teachers. After the children are trained they go into the classroom and teach their peers communication, conflict resolution, and how to handle bullies. She has also created a “peace table” for every classroom where the children can bring their conflicts and use the tools provided to solve problems themselves, as well as providing counseling to children experiencing conflicts.
Mrs. Brigden has led her dedicated volunteers in teaching students, teachers and staff of Carson schools how to mediate their differences, helping to create an environment that is conducive to learning and teaching. The students and volunteers believe without a doubt that she is truly a “Hero in Education.”
The California State Lottery's “Heroes in Education” award has been presented monthly on The Big Spin show since 1999. The Lottery partners with celebrities to present these awards, which recognize special individuals who volunteer time and resources to their schools and communities.
Public education in California receives at least 34 cents of every dollar players spend on Lottery products. The California Lottery contributed $1.28 billion to public education in 2005-06 out of sales of $3.58 billion, the sixth year in a row the Lottery has provided more than $1 billion in supplemental funding for education. Retailers won too, earning over $252 million in compensation last year selling Lottery products. Since the Lottery began in 1985, it has contributed more than $18 billion to California schools.