West's Vitulli receives prestigious teaching award

By JEN COWART
Posted 5/1/19

By JEN COWART Nancy Vitulli, drama teacher at Cranston High School West, was recently announced as a recipient of the prestigious Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award. She is one of just six educators nationwide to receive the

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West's Vitulli receives prestigious teaching award

Posted

Nancy Vitulli, drama teacher at Cranston High School West, was recently announced as a recipient of the prestigious Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award.

She is one of just six educators nationwide to receive the honor this year.

The Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award is a series of grants that recognize American teachers by spotlighting their extraordinary impact on the lives of students. The awards were created in 2010, and 2019 is their final year.

Vitulli, who has been teaching for 29 years, was nominated for the award by Michael Pisaturo, a Cranston West alumnus and a student at Boston College.

“I am now a student at Boston College, about to graduate with my M.Ed., and plan on pursuing a career in theater education, all because of [Vitulli],” Pisaturo said. “However, I am not her only success story. Nancy Vitulli has inspired countless other students to pursue careers in the arts and has become well-known in the Rhode Island theatre scene as one of the most influential and hard-working teachers around.”

Cranston West Principal Tom Barbieri praised Vitulli and said the award is a “well-deserved honor for a teacher that exemplifies the teaching and learning that goes on at Cranston West.”

“Nancy does what it takes to bring out the best in students and we are proud of her accomplishment,” he added.

In his nomination letter, Pisaturo wrote about his early experience as a freshman whose life was changed when he auditioned for his first show at Cranston West.

“In the theater community, it was common knowledge that nearly everyone who auditioned for a show would be able to participate in some capacity or another. Though as a nervous freshman riddled by social anxiety, I still never believed I had a voice worthy of a spot on that sacred stage,” he wrote. “Every time I opened my mouth, the words tumbled out at an almost incomprehensible rate … so learning that I had been given a speaking role in the fall production of ‘Our Town’ understandably came as a shock.”

He continued, “It was several weeks later, during a Tuesday evening rehearsal as I performed Simon Stimson’s Act 3 monologue, that Ms. Vitulli suddenly stopped me. I was mortified. Here I sat on the stage that I had so longed to be on amidst a cast of actors whose mere presence intimidated me beyond belief. She approached the proscenium and asked why I spoke so quickly. Stumbling over my words, I explained to her how I had managed to convince myself that no one truly wanted to hear what I had to say, so it was my responsibility to say it as quickly as humanly possible. She paused for a moment, looking at me through her signature, tortoiseshell glasses. ‘Well, we want to hear you.’”

Pisaturo believes that Vitulli’s mentoring from his early days at Cranston West will last him a lifetime and will influence his own career as he mentors his own future students.

“In the years since, Ms. Vitulli stopped at nothing to help me to find my voice. From pre-show pep-talks to in-class workshops to countless hours of rehearsals, she was relentless,” he said. “Six years later, I performed in the last production of my collegiate acting career with Ms. Vitulli sitting in the front row. I would also later find my voice as a writer, having my work performed at theaters across the country. Now, as I complete my master’s degree in teaching and prepare to pursue a career in theatre education, I am reminded of the words Ms. Vitulli said to me that one rehearsal and how because of her, I can confidently tell my own students that they deserve to be heard as well.”

Vitulli was surprised and honored by the nomination from Pisaturo.

“As my 29th year in education comes to a close, I never expected to receive such a meaningful honor,” she said. “I am forever grateful to the teachers who inspired me and not only touched my mind but my heart and soul. I thank Mr. Sondheim for acknowledging the role that teachers have had in his life and his generosity in recognizing how educators can truly change lives.”

For more information about the award, visit education.kennedy-center.org/education/sondheim/nominees19.cfm. 

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