The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes presented two of the six annual Discovery Awards to four local students Monday afternoon, awarding them for the projects they worked on over the previous school year concerning an unsung hero they discovered.
“The Discovery Award recognizes outstanding student projects around the world,” said LMC executive director Norman Conard. “We delight in presenting these awards to teachers and students who find great unsung heroes, which can be used for role models everywhere.”
Participants in the contest included students from 4th to 12th grade from around the United States and even internationally. Students could participate individually or in teams of up to five members.
Each student or team turned in a project in the form of a documentary, performance or website about an unsung hero, demonstrating the subject’s timeless impact and promoting respect and understanding.
“All of the participants did an outstanding job this year,” said Dani Gardullo, LMC’s director of marketing.
Ben Fischer, a student at the Christian Learning Center in Fort Scott, was awarded the second place prize of $2,000 for his documentary on Horace King, titled “Bridging Barriers and Building a Legacy.” King was a slave who later became an engineer, bridge-builder, businessman and then senator in the Alabama State Legislature.
Julia Kerr, Zoe Self and Drake Garcia of Christian Heights in Fort Scott received the Outstanding Middle School Award of $1,000 for their performance on Recha Sternbuch, who arranged the rescue of more than 2,000 Jews during the holocaust.
Other awards were won by students in Topeka, Joplin and even Poland. Visit the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes or its website to see the students’ projects honoring individuals previously unrecognized for their efforts.