WXXI’S HOMEWORK HOTLINE HELPS ALLEVIATE THE STRESS OF HOMEWORK

WXXI Public Broadcasting

280 State Street. PO Box 30021

Rochester, New York 14603-3021

585/325-7500

wxxi.org

Kristin Tutino, Publicist: 585/258-0253

For Immediate Release

(Rochester, New York) September 5, 2013 –School is back in session and with it comes homework. Homework can often be stressful for students and their parents, but fortunately there’s Homework Hotline, a live call-in show where kids get help with homework problems right on the air. The series, produced by WXXI and broadcast on PBS stations across New York State, kicks off a whole new season on Monday, September 9 at 5:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV. The series airs Monday through Thursday at 5:30 p.m. throughout the school year.

Designed for children in grades four through 12, Homework Hotline provides the tools students need to succeed in school, and supports academic achievement across a variety of NYS Learning Standards. Teachers from Rochester Dial-A-Teacher take the calls and send them to WXXI studios, where host teachers, who are experts in subjects across the curriculum, are standing by ready to help kids work through their homework assignments live on television. The series also presents daily thematic segments on animals, book reviews, history, environment issues, and people and places in New York State.

Six master teachers host the series. They include: Joe Zuniga, District Math Coach working with Schools #5, #17, #44 and Wilson Foundation; Donna Mineo, a math teacher at Charlotte High School; Craig Zaremba, a science and Living Environment teacher at Lincoln Park #44; Stephanie Karns, a math teacher at Charlotte High School; Laura Drake, a teacher at World of Inquiry School; and Ed Hathaway, a certified teacher in math and computer science at Wilson Magnet High School and Livonia High School.

New this season is eleven student hosts who have recorded special segments to run throughout the year.  Student hosts include: Alizabeth York of Walworth, Nicole Meredith of Webster, Corinne Elizabeth Mosher of Lima, Zhanna Thompson of Rochester, Sage Melcher of Honeoye Falls, Sanjana Mahalakshmi Chandrasekar of Pittsford, Michaela Buckley of Fairport, Calvin Spiteri of Penfield, Adriana Scalice of Penfield, Jonathan Lai of Rochester, and Robert Di James of Webster.

Homework Hotline is also streamed live on the series’companion Web site, HomeworkHotline.org. The site also features a new series of “Teacher Videos” where the teachers will be recording tutorials on common topics, plus access to interactive games, homework help tips, a list of educational links, broadcast schedules, teacher host bios, and educational and entertaining features.

Using social media outlets, Homework Hotline has made it easier for students and teachers to find and share videos on math, health, animals, and history through its YouTube channel at youtube.com/HomeworkHotlineTV. Homework Hotline also sends out daily updates on its Facebook page (facebook.com/HomeworkHotlineTV) about what will be on the show that day, plus shares helpful hints to the daily “Teaser” questions featured on the show.

Homework Hotline has received ten New York State Broadcasters Association Awards for best program or series designed for children, plus a 2010 My Source Education Innovation Award from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Silver Telly, Bronze Telly, and an Aurora Award. Homework Hotline is funded in part by the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT).

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WXXI is the essential, life-long educational media resource for the Greater Rochester area. WXXI puts the community first with programming that stimulates and expands thought, inspires the spirit, opens cultural horizons and promotes understanding of diverse community issues. The formal affiliation between WXXI and the Little Theatre, established in December 2011, enables the two organizations to work more efficiently by pooling resources and strengths in a number of areas including back-office operation and improved fundraising capabilities.  Log on to wxxi.org for more information about our services and programs.