The Lowell Milken Center (LMC) for Unsung Heroes in Fort Scott, Kansas, an international educational non-profit, has awarded its prestigious Fellowship to Sean Griffin, a United States History teacher at Brambleton Middle School in Ashburn Virginia. Sean Griffin arrived in Fort Scott on June 19th for a week of collaboration with LMC staff.
The LMC Fellowship is a merit-based award for educators of all disciplines who value the importance of teaching respect and understanding through project-based learning. The Center selects exemplary teachers from the United States and around the world who will collaborate on projects that discover, develop, and communicate the stories of Unsung Heroes in history.
Sean Griffin, a seventh grade US History teacher, is completing his second year at Brambleton Middle School in Ashburn, Virginia. The 2021-22 school year was his 18th year as a teacher for Loudoun County Public Schools and his 20th year as an educator. He spent his first 16 years teaching fifth graders at Belmont Station Elementary School, also in Ashburn. In 2010, he was named a Milken National Educator. Sean has been a consistent presenter and mentor at the annual Teachers of Promise Institute, which honors preservice teachers as they enter the profession.
Sean has been trained in Personalized Learning and Project Based Learning and strives to incorporate these educational platforms into his daily teaching to inspire critical thinking and help students connect historical topics and themes to their daily lives. This fall, Sean will begin his first year as the Subject Area Lead Teacher for the Social Sciences and Global Studies department at Brambleton Middle School. He hopes to work with other departments throughout the school to develop interdisciplinary, authentic learning challenges for the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Brambleton Bears. Sean spent eleven years as an assistant varsity baseball coach and now coaches his own kids in softball and baseball.
LMC Executive Director Norm Conard says, “Sean’s experience with Project Based Learning make him a perfect fit for our LMC Fellows team. We will look to his input and expertise as we encourage our teachers to help their students discover Unsung Heroes and develop projects to relate their stories.”
While in Fort Scott, LMC Fellows gain knowledge, educational resources and support in helping students cultivate a passion for learning through the creation of projects that initiate positive change. Fellows will be equipped to develop Unsung Heroes projects with their students, applying and evaluating the stories of these role models who have changed the world
throughout history.