Although Elizabeth Rothrock has a teaching credential and a masters degree, she chooses to volunteer her time because she believes in the transformative power of art education and wants to make theater accessible to the students of University Prep. She will be honored as a California State Lottery Hero in Education on “The Big Spin®” show airing statewide June 8, 2007.
She will be presented with the award by actress Liz Sheridan. Sheridan has appeared on such shows as “Melrose Place,” “Murder She Wrote” and was a regular on “Alf.” She has also written a book called “Dizzy and Jimmy” about her love affair with James Dean. Sheridan is best known for her role on “Seinfeld” playing Jerry’s mom.
University Prep School is a bilingual charter school in Camarillo where more than forty percent of the students are at or below the poverty line. For the past three years Rothrock has been volunteering with children from kindergarten through eighth grade. Last year she created an after-school drama group called the “Dolphin Players.” All the plays performed by the students are literature based. Any student who auditions is given the opportunity to participate. Some of her actors have autism; others learning disabilities or are still learning English.
They performed their first production, Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” with no budget and fifty kids from the ages five through twelve. Since there was a lack of funds Rothrock adapted her own version of the play and along with the students helped make the costumes and created props and scenery. She paid for any extra expenses out of her own pocket.
Last year was so successful that this year she has nearly one hundred and fifty students working on different plays, “Treasure Island” and a Chumash legend, “Eagle’s Daughter.” Rothrock helps the students find their voice, gain self-esteem and grow confidence. “The most exciting part of all is seeing how thrilled the kids are to be part of a play,” said Rothrock. 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 presents these awards, to 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 a $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 its inception in 1985, the Lottery has contributed more than $18 billion to California schools.