This is part of a series featuring 2025 National Lowell Milken Center Fellows who will be here the week of June 15
Theresa Cantwell Named
2025 National Lowell Milken Center Fellow
FORT SCOTT, KS – June 1, 2025 – The Lowell Milken Center (LMC) for Unsung Heroes in Fort Scott, Kansas, an international educational non-profit, has awarded its prestigious Fellowship to Theresa Cantwell, a Social Studies teacher at Jericho Middle School in Jericho, NY. Theresa will arrive in Fort Scott on June 15th for a week of collaboration with LMC staff and the other members of the Fellowship.
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.
Theresa is an 8th-grade social studies teacher and the history research coordinator at Jericho Middle School. She and her students have won multiple national awards in history competitions, including the Lowell Milken Center National Discovery Award. Theresa and her students also received awards in National History Day competitions and the New York State Archives Student Research Awards. She was recently recognized as the Long Island History Day Teacher of the Year on March 27, 2025.
History research is a popular program at Jericho Middle School, where Theresa has taught for 33 years and has been the Jericho Schools’ history research coordinator for the past decade. She empowers students to conduct real research, analyze complex topics, and to give voice to stories that are too often forgotten or deliberately erased. Jericho Schools were recognized by the Lowell Milken Center as winners of the Outstanding School Award in October of 2024.
LMC Executive Director Norm Conard says, “Theresa inspires her students to explore history in new ways and has led their development of winning projects in both the LMC National Discovery Award and National History Day competitions. Her leadership skills and expertise in project-based learning will be a valuable resource to share with our 2025 team of Fellows. We look forward to continued outstanding Unsung Hero projects from Theresa’s students.”
While in Fort Scott, LMC Fellows gain knowledge, educational resources, and support in helping students cultivate a passion for learning by creating 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.