TEACHER DR. JOY MARKS GRAY Joy Gray lives in Willoughby, Ohio, an eastern Cleveland suburb, with her husband of 28 years and her four cats. She has two sons, one a college sophomore and the other a college freshman. Four years ago, in her late forties, she learned Hebrew for the first time and studied for and made her Bat Mitzvah. She is an avid and eclectic reader. Joy received her B.A. and Ph.D. in English from Case Western Reserve University and an M.A. in English from Washington University. She taught English for 19 years in a private school in suburban Cleveland, Ohio, then took a year off from teaching to work part-time in a bookstore while writing a mystery novel. She subsequently returned to teaching English in a suburban public high school, where she teaches Advanced Placement English, American Studies, and a number of electives (including Creative Writing, Whodunit: the Magic of Mysteries, and Holocaust: the Results of Hatred). She also conducts seminars on innovative teaching techniques for teachers in both public and private schools. Joy has published educational articles in the National Council of Teachers of English’s English Journal and English Leadership Quarterly.   SCHOOL Kenston High School, Chagrin Falls, Ohio Kenston School District: The Kenston Local School District encompasses the townships of Auburn and Bainbridge in Geauga County and is adjacent to Chagrin Falls, Ohio. The system is located in a rapidly growing residential community with an above-average income. The residents are strongly supportive of education and passed a bond levy for a new high school last fall the first time it appeared on the ballot. In 2002, the district served 3,072 students (with 939 students in the high school). Kenston High School adopted a block schedule in 2000–2001. The school day is divided into four blocks, each lasting approximately 84 minutes. The maximum number of classes a student may take is four per semester. A full-credit course is one semester in length; a half-credit course lasts nine weeks. In 2002, 104 students took AP exams; 11 AP courses are offered. Graduate profile: 77% attend a 4-year college 9% attend a specialty/technical school 14% enter the military or workforce Student population breakdown: African American: 4.9%, Asian: 0.7% Hispanic: 0.6 % Multiracial: 2.0% Caucasian: 91.9% [Close]