The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes honored Jericho students and teachers who completed research projects on individuals who impacted history.
Students and faculty worked on the Unsung Hero project throughout the 2023-2024 academic year, creating websites and documentaries about underrepresented heroes.
“The students we work with at Jericho are quite motivated, as their research is a yearlong process of exploring historical context as well as the impact of Unsung Heroes on the lives of so many,” said teacher Theresa Cantwell.
The middle and high school received a $1,000 Outstanding School award for their performance, and students collectively received $6,000 for their achievements.
“It feels good to know that our students are being acknowledged that these heroes will be remembered,” said library media teacher Valerie Conklin.
High schoolers Kaitlyn Choi and Madison Choi created a website, Being (Judy) Heumann: Champion for the Rights of the Disabled. The two students won the $2,500 Outstanding High School Project award for their research on Judy Heumann.
Jay Patel, a Jericho middle schooler, won the $2,000 Outstanding Middle School Project award for his documentary “The Color of Blood: Dr. Charles Drew, An Unsung Hero in Blood Preservation.” His documentary focused on Dr. Charles Drew, who helped establish blood banks and blood preservation methods.
$750 Certificates of Excellence were awarded to middle schoolers Rayan Hasan and Rumaisa Hasan for their documentary, “Jean Heller: The Unsung Hero Who Paved the Way for American Bioethics” and Ananya Kavi for her website, A Heart of Gold: The Heroic Work of Dr. Daniel Hale Williams.
School librarian Valerie Conklin has assisted students in research and entering the Unsung Hero competition for five years, she said.
“This year has been the most gratifying, with an unprecedented number of student entries recognized for excellence,” said Conklin.
Conklin said for this year’s project, some students had the opportunity to interview primary witnesses and family members of their chosen hero.
Jay Patel said he interviewed Drew’s daughter for his documentary.
“My favorite part of the documentary was my personal interview with Dr. Drew’s daughter,” Patel said. “This interview added extensive amounts of depth, emotion and personality to the story which wouldn’t have been achievable otherwise.”
Patel said that while researching individuals, Drew stood out to him due to the lasting impact of his work, as well as the challenges he faced.
“Drew’s story stood out since he had to face many obstacles during the time of segregation, and he was reportedly denied treatment of the blood transfusion method he pioneered due to his race,” he said.
Patel worked on his documentary from November 2023 through July 2024. He said that assembling the film was “incredibly rewarding.”
High school teacher Brian Dussel, who assisted Kaitlyn Choi and Madison Choi, said there is a team of faculty that works with students each year on the Unsung Hero projects. Staff provide feedback, assist with research and meet individually to develop ideas.
“Our team’s commitment to helping all students with their research is truly exceptional,” he said.
Individual teachers recognized by the Lowell Milken Center include Theresa Cantwell, Valerie Conklin, Brian Dussel, Sarah Espinal, Marci Kivo, Konstantine Kovoros, James Lawlor, Laura Suchopar, Pamela Travis, Michelle Vevante, and Eric Sundberg.
“I’m especially glad the Milken Center recognized our social studies teachers and middle school librarian, who have mentored these students for years,” said curriculum associate Eric Sundberg.
“They teach key skills like forming research questions, finding credible sources, using databases, conducting interviews and citing sources,” he said.
Sundberg and Dussel said that the skills taught during the year-long project are important foundational skills for students’ academic future.
Additional students recognized for their projects include: Ryan Chan and Yifan Gao, Isaac Chen,Tiffany Chiu, Lori Li, Michael Paik and Zihan Wei and Angel Shah.
“Each year, the projects students create are unique, offering a chance for me as a teacher to challenge students to think critically and apply their historical thinking skills to produce remarkable research,” said Dussel.
