Press Releases
Lowell Milken Center Announces Inaugural Discovery Award Winners: Students Uncover Unsung Heroes Who Have Changed The World
Projects from Prince George County, VA, Carlisle, IA, and Denver, CO, take top honors, with Prince George clinching $10,000 grand prize for performance on The Little Rock Nine
October 4, 2012
Fort Scott, Kansas—The Lowell Milken Center, dedicated to "repairing the world" through project-based learning, announced that projects from Prince George County, Virginia, Carlisle, Iowa, and Denver, Colorado, have earned 1st, 2nd and 3rd place respectively in its first annual Discovery Award competition. The Discovery Award inspires the exploration of unsung heroes who have changed history.
"Our hope is that the Lowell Milken Center Discovery Award will not only shed light on unsung heroes from around the nation and world, but will also inspire teachers and students to continue their legacies in their own communities," said Norm Conard, the Center's executive director.
The $10,000 grand prize goes to educator Stephanie Bishop and her students Abria Humphries, Travis Kennedy and Bryce Kephart from Prince George County, VA, for creating a spellbinding performance called "Walk With Me," which honors Kendall Reinhardt's friendship with "The Little Rock Nine" of Central High School, Arkansas.
"'Walk With Me' is a journey into outstanding project development," said Conard. "The days of 1957-58 come alive again through the beautiful, seamless combination of research and development. Stephanie Bishop and her students have set a standard of excellence in education with this powerful performance." Learn more on the Lowell Milken Center website.
Rebekah Frese of Carlisle High School, IA, earned second place and $2,000 for developing an interactive website on Iowan Richard Thomas's idea—later known as the "hog lift"—to send breeding stock to Yamanashi, Japan, after it was devastated by typhoons in 1959.
Said Conard, "Rebekah Frese's emphasis on diversity and understanding presents a deeply insightful perspective on Richard Thomas's act of international diplomacy as well as the broad and lasting impact it has had on U.S./Japanese relations. Learn more.
The $1,000 third-place price was presented to Li Downs, Emma Rosati and Savannah Winchell of the Denver School of the Arts, Colorado, who produced a documentary film paying tribute to former Governor Ralph Carr and his little-known advocacy for the Japanese-Americans who settled in Colorado in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. Learn more.
"This project has an outstanding topic and great visuals," said Conard. "The students used a fascinating event to demonstrate high-quality filmmaking and project-based learning. The presentation is extremely resourceful and enthusiastic."
Honorable mentions went to the 4th grade students of Kerin Motsinger at Park View Elementary in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and the 4th grade students of Yuuko Arikawa at Ka'ala Elementary School in Wahiawa, Hawaii. Each group submitted three projects.
The Discovery Award competition requires projects to be classified as either documentary/multimedia; performance or website. Criteria include:
- Portrayal of an unsung hero whose work has shown impact over time and has shown a change in history;
- Originality of the topic and research
- Potential for life beyond the development of the project; and
- Ability to inspire students to take sustainable actions to continue the legacies of their subjects.
Participants are encouraged to develop their projects during the school year in which they enter the competition. The awards are open to U.S. students in grades 4-12.
Projects are judged by educators who are expert in project-based learning, those whose own students have been recognized on a national level over the past three decades. Judges look for projects which demonstrate impact, creativity and outstanding primary research.
Established in 2007, the Lowell Milken Center discovers, develops and communicates the stories of unsung heroes who have made a profound and positive difference in the course of history. The Center is based in Fort Scott, Kansas, and opens its doors to the world. In just five years, it has reached 5,000 schools and 575,000 students in all 50 states and 20 countries. Learn more about Lowell Milken Center and how to enter the 2012-13 Discovery Award competition at www.lowellmilkencenter.org.
Connect on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LowellMilkenCenter and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LowellMilkenCtr. To support the Lowell Milken Center and projects like the Discovery Award, visit www.lowellmilkencenter.org/donate.taf.
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N.B.: For press releases on each of the projects, visit the Lowell Milken Center newsroom.