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New Unsung Heroes Emerge from

2023 Discovery Award Competition

The Grand Prize winner of the 2023 Discovery Award Competition is Sasha Allen from Eden Prairie, MN. Sasha’s extraordinary documentary, 3-6-9 KID: How Child Spy Agnes Láckovič Saved Hundreds from the Nazis, left us in awe! Learn more about Sasha by checking out this excellent article, Student Spotlights Unsung Hero Stories, by Hannah Ward at the Star Tribune. Photo by SHARI L. GROSS Star Tribune staff

3-6-9 KID: How Child Spy Agnes Láckovič Saved Hundreds from the Nazis masterfully relates the powerful impact of this 17-year-old unsung hero, who courageously saved the lives of hundreds of Jews and other endangered people during WWII.

The first-place winner of the 2023 Discovery Award Competition went to Paige Franzen, Kadence Huck and Callahan Levi from Nashua-Plainfield High School in Nashua, Iowa. Their powerful documentary, Why Not US? Dr. Christine Grant’s Heroic Pursuit of Gender Equality, is fascinating! Learn more about these multi-talented students by checking out this clip from KCRG-TV9 News at 9.

Pictured are Suzy Turner (the Talented and Gifted teacher and National History Day advisor at Nashua-Plainfield Jr/Sr High School), Callahan Levi, Kadence Huck, Paige Franzen, and Norm Conard (Executive Director of the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes). Photo by Jennifer Kalainoff

Why Not Us? Dr. Christine Grant’s Heroic Pursuit of Gender Equality tells the story of Dr. Grant, the first women’s athletic director at the University of Iowa, and the significant impact she made in advancing gender equality in women’s sports.

ARTEFFECT News and Updates

Call for ARTEFFECT Submissions!
The 2023-2024 ARTEFFECT Competition Submission Portal Opens Wednesday, November 1, 2023. This competition invites student to honor Unsung Heroes through the visual arts and is open to all U.S. and international middle and high school students.

*   Learn How to Submit
*   View Past Winners
*   Download the Lesson Plan
*   Watch the ARTEFFECT Promo Video

Fellows News and Updates

2014 LMC Fellow Brian Langley brought his daughter to the LMC.

It was heartwarming to see Brian share the magic of the LMC with the next generation. Their visit reminded us that our community is not just about work; it’s also about family and cherished memories.

Brian shared that his class has done unsung hero projects every year since completing his fellowship at the LMC. Thank you, Brian, for being an inspiration and for sharing the stories of unsung heroes with your daughter and with your students!

Thanks to Leslie Sullivan, a 2021 LMC Fellow, for showcasing the Unsung Heroes projects at the Engage Carolinas Milken Conference in Charlotte, NC.

Your dedication to highlighting these heroes is genuinely inspiring!

We celebrated World Teacher Day on October 5th, honoring our LMC Fellows and educators from all corners of the globe for the incredible, lasting impact they make on their students’ lives.

We hope you will express your gratitude and thank a teacher who’s made a difference in your journey.

LMC News and Updates

Fall at the LMC has been nothing short of a whirlwind, from the exciting Discovery Award announcements to marking significant dates and gearing up for the festive holiday season. In case you missed them, here are some standout highlights we’ve saved just for you in this edition!

CELEBRATING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

During this #HispanicHeritageMonth, we shine a spotlight on these remarkable unsung heroes featured at the Lowell Milken Center, whose contributions have left a lasting mark on history:

Sylvia Mendez: An advocate for educational equality, Sylvia, along with her family, bravely helped initiate the desegregation of California schools, paving the way for future generations. Sylvia was the subject of Separate Will Never Be Equal, the 2021 ARTEFFECT Certificate of Excellence award-winning project by Zoe Spikerman from Parker School in Waimea, Hawaii.

Elizabeth Catlett: A talented artist and sculptor, Elizabeth used her gifts to reflect the strength and beauty of the African-American and Mexican-American communities. Elizabeth was the subject of Dr. Elizabeth Catlett: Artist To Some, Activist For Many, Unsung Hero To All, a 2023 Discovery Award-winning documentary by Loup County HS student Angel Estrada.

Ralph Lazo: Ralph, a Mexican-American teenager, voluntarily enrolled in a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II to support his friends and neighbors. Ralph was the subject of Ralph Lazo: The Voluntary Prisoner, a project developed by 4th graders in Shannon Garrison’s class at Solano Avenue Elementary in Los Angeles.

We celebrated the anniversary of the beginning of

Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project.

The following is a note from Norm Conard LMC’s Executive Director, and the teacher behind the project.

It has been an incredible journey since the inception of Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project, which began 24 years ago. On September 23, 1999, a group of dedicated students from a small, rural Kansas high school embarked on a mission for the National History Day program. Little did they know that their efforts would have a profound and lasting impact on the world.

Over the past two decades, the heroic actions of Irena Sendler continue to resonate powerfully through her story, as told by those students. Our mission to share this remarkable tale with the world has only grown stronger.

Norman Conard

Teacher

DON’T MISS OUT!

Dive into the LMC Newsroom to explore the incredible media coverage of the Discovery Award announcements from across the nation.

Discover the buzz and excitement that’s been generated nationwide!