We recently welcomed the second group of Raymond H. Wittcoff Community Engagement Fellows to Nine PBS. Raymond Wittcoff was one of the driving forces behind the creation of public media in St. Louis and across the nation. A founding member of the station, he felt that public television had a responsibility to ensure all people are “as wise as they are powerful.” To carry on his legacy, Nine PBS created the Raymond H. Wittcoff Community Engagement Fellowship program. These fellows will create deeper relationships with those educators, caregivers, and community organizations that need public media most.
Pacia Anderson
Pacia Elaine Anderson (far left) is an active collaborator across a broad spectrum of arts and community organizations. A spoken, written, teaching, and visual word artist, her current arts-learning and creative partnerships include Americans for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, Missouri Arts Council, Saint Louis Public Schools, Center of Creative Arts (COCA), Good Journey Development Foundation, UrbArts, and the Cherokee Street Community Improvement District, among others. Pacia is a graduate of the Regional Arts Commission's Community Arts Training Institute and currently serves as its program lead. A founding member of the youth-based art camp Cherokee Street Reach, Pacia was named the 2020-2021 Community Impact Artist by the Saint Louis Visionary Awards. She currently serves on the boards of St. Louis Art Place, St. Louis Poetry Center, and Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts.
Meghan Halsey
Meghan Halsey (center left) received her teaching degree from Southeast Missouri State University. She dedicated 14 years of her career at a progressive preschool, Forest School. She completed many emergent projects and pioneered the foundational programs of the Forest School. She eventually stepped into a leadership role as an administrator and began implementing more teacher support and community-building experiences for the staff. Meghan has the honor of being a stay-at-home mom, raising three children, two cats, and a puppy. She loves being outdoors, collaborating with others, playing board games, creating photography, and making memories with her kids.
Terek Hawkins
Terek Hawkins (center right) grew up in St. Louis, attending both public and private schools before attending Washburn University in Topeka, KS, for his Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education. While gaining four years of teaching experience, Terek obtained his Master of Science in Early Childhood Education from the Erikson Institute of Chicago. He is very passionate about creating equitable opportunities for all children and hopes to reflect that within the community. Some of Terek’s future goals include creating a youth center or youth program that challenges our communities while supporting families. In his free time, Terek enjoys trying new restaurants and watching sports.
Kayla Moore
Kayla Moore (far right) is an intersectional creative and facilitator of change, with an emphasis on hands-on learning through experience and exposure. Her focus is on creating curriculum that focuses on the whole child and centers around culturally responsive teaching and differentiated instruction. Kayla has seven years of experience in early childhood education and curriculum building. She has facilitated Camp Brown Kids, a camp through the Michael O.D. Brown We Love Our Sons & Daughters Foundation that ensures Black and brown children the experience and exposure of breaking generational curses through nature. She has also created aquaponic systems within schools and worked with at-risk students to turn vacant lots into community gardens as a way of promoting sustainability and self-sufficiency.