November 9, 2023                                                    Volume 13

November is National Native American Heritage Month!

This month, we honor the rich cultural heritage and contributions of Native Americans. Today, we pay tribute to one of our newest unsung heroes,

Susan LaFlesche Picotte.

Susan LaFlesche Picotte became the first Native American woman to earn a medical degree in the United States. Born in 1865 on the Omaha Reservation, she dedicated her life to improving the health and well-being of her community. Dr. Picotte’s unwavering determination and commitment to her people continue to inspire us today.

We will be sharing additional stories of Native American Unsung Heroes on our social media throughout the month of November, so be sure to follow us!

Madison Glidden was the recipient of the Outstanding High School Project in this year’s Discovery Award Competition. Not only did she learn that her documentary on Susan LaFlesche Picotte was one of the top projects in the country, she was also surprised with this congratulatory video from the author who wrote the biography on Susan LaFlesche Picotte!

Discovery Award Updates

EXCITING NEWS FOR EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS

Are you currently working on the Discovery Award project with your students? We have some fantastic updates to share with you!

This year, the Discovery Award is bigger and better than ever, with nearly $25,000 in prizes up for grabs for your talented students.

But wait! We haven’t forgotten about the incredible educators who guide and inspire our young learners. We’re thrilled to announce that there are also a few new awards just for teachers.

If you ever find yourself in need of guidance, assistance, or have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. Norm and Megan are here to help and can be reached at the following email addresses:

Norm Conard: nconard@lowellmilkencenter.org

Megan Felt: mfelt@lowellmilkencenter.org

We can’t wait to see the amazing projects that you and your students will create this year!

Stay tuned for more updates and inspiration as we embark on this exciting Discovery Award journey together.

ARTEFFECT Updates

ARTEFFECT is running a series of free online webinars exploring themes and strategies for teaching and learning with the LMC Unsung Heroes through the visual arts. Sessions will explore project-based, art-based lesson plans to bring these diverse stories to K-12 students.

View the sessions: ARTEFFECT Professional Development OnlineSessions

Congratulations to the inaugural ARTEFFECT Ambassadors! We are so excited for these top 28 educators from across the U.S. and Canada! We look forward to their visual art explorations with K12 students and communities on the unsung heroes in the year ahead. View the Ambssador’s profiles: https://lnkd.in/gKaaY8RQ

Fellows News and Updates

2019 Fellow Wesley Hedgepeth, is the 2023-2024 President of National Council for the Social Studies. Information about the 103rd NCSS Conference can be found here:

https://www.socialstudies.org/sites/default/files/ncss2023/ncss2023-conference-preview-9-19.pdf

The website is: www.socialstudies.org/conference

LMC News and Updates

As the leaves begin to change and a crisp breeze fills the air, there’s no better time to plan your visit to the Lowell Milken Center. The autumn months bring a special charm to our center, with vibrant foliage, a cozy atmosphere, and the warm welcome that awaits you.

Discover the magic of Unsung Heroes as you explore our inspiring exhibits and stroll through Unsung Hero Park while enjoying the beautiful weather.

Whether you’re a first-time visitor or returning for another memorable experience, autumn at LMC offers a unique backdrop for learning, inspiration, and reflection.

Leadership inspires trust and confidence. Each of the fifty states has a Commissioner of Education who is a key to the success of the schools in that state. Our commissioner in Kansas is Randy Watson, an exceptional leader who promotes harmony and teamwork among administrators and teachers across the state. Kansas’ long history of notable leaders includes Andy Tompkins, a passionate advocate for education with a strong belief in the potential for all Kansans to learn, Dale Dennis, whose legendary career provided critical leadership in working with the state legislature, and Bob Gast, who strengthened teacher recognition across the state. These leaders, along with others past and present, have created and shaped the drive and purpose within Kansas schools. We offer a special salute to all Kansas teachers and our current Commissioner, Randy Watson.

(Pictured is Norm with Randy Watson at the 2023 Kansas Teacher of the Year banquet).

We’re excited to announce the launch of a new segment in our newsletter, “The Ripple Effect.” This space is dedicated to sharing the remarkable stories and heartfelt experiences of teachers and students whose lives have been touched by Unsung Hero Projects.

Through personal reflections, anecdotes, and insightful conversations, we will explore how Unsung Hero Projects have sowed the seeds of change, fostering a spirit of innovation, empathy, and resilience. Get ready to be moved by stories of hope, growth, and lasting impact.

Here’s what Suzy had to say:

“The most rewarding aspect of working with students on the unsung heroes projects is seeing how invested they become in researching their heroes and making sure they get the story right. The students feel like they know their heroes and they want others to feel their impact as well. As a result, they work tirelessly on their projects, continuously making edits to refine and improve them.”

Challenges and successes:

“Out of the challenges come the successes. When my students were researching Barbara Fassbinder, they had difficulty finding any primary source news footage on her, although they knew she’d been interviewed during her advocacy work. Her husband mentioned he had a box of old videotapes that he’d loan to them. However, they were VCR tapes and many were damaged significantly. We were fortunate to find a man locally who possessed the technology to transfer the films to digital, repair and restore the video and sound tracks, and provide the students with 20 usable news clips and programs for their research and use in their documentary. They were also then able to give these files to the family, including Barbara’s three children, who hadn’t seen many of them before. It was such a moving experience for the kids and the family.”

“Other successes and memorable experiences have been the interviews that really connect the students to people who knew and were affected by their hero. My students who researched Dr. Christine Grant, had the opportunity to interview Lisa Bluder, the University of Iowa’s Women’s Basketball coach about her relationship with Dr. Grant and how her Title IX advocacy work continues to impact women’s athletics at Iowa and nationwide. Since two of the students involved in the Grant documentary are high level female student athletes who will be competing at the college level in sports, that message particularly resonated with them. As such, Grant’s heroism was brought to life and became personal for these students, who didn’t even know who she was a year ago.”