history
History
In 1999, when Irena Sendler was 89 years old, a group of high school students in Kansas uncovered her story in a box of newspaper clippings given to them by their teacher, Norm Conard (Milken Educator, KS1992). They found a story about a woman who had saved Jewish 2,500 children during the Holocaust. Shocked that they had never heard of her, the students decided to research her life and find a way to share her story. They created a play, Life in a Jar, and committed to celebrating Sendler’s acts of heroism. The play has been performed hundreds of times across the world. Conard’s group of students even traveled to Poland to meet Sendler. One student, Megan Felt, recounted, “We told her, ‘You’re our hero’ and Irena replied, ‘I’m not a hero. I did what anyone else would have done.’”
Lowell Milken, inspired by Sendler’s story and the belief that there were thousands of Unsung Heroes who needed to be rescued from history for the world to know of their extraordinary actions, founded the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes (LMC) in 2007. LMC focuses on project-based learning—experiences that teach students history by putting them in it.
Lowell Milken founded ARTEFFECT, a visual arts education initiative, in 2016 to foster reflection on the invaluable contributions of these Unsung Heroes and the creation of original art.
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Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes
The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes (LMC) is an incubator for new knowledge established by Lowell Milken in 2007. LMC offers student competitions, fellowships, professional development, exhibitions, educational resources, and publications. Through its offerings, LMC supports educators and students in the K-12 sector, across subjects, to develop Unsung Hero projects that bring untold and inspiring stories to light.
Unsung Heroes from prior generations demonstrate the power of one person to profoundly better the lives of others and positively impact the course of history. Honoring the heroic traits and actions that define such exceptional individuals is at the core of LMC’s activities. Through project-based learning that honors Unsung Heroes as role models, young people recognize their power to effect positive change.
Project-based learning
Since 2007, the stories of Unsung Heroes and their contributions to society have been brought to light through the LMC Discovery Award, with its unique approach to project-based learning that emphasizes primary research and storytelling. LMC's annual Discovery Award offers financial prizes to students in grades 4-12 worldwide who produce compelling Unsung Hero Projects. Entries can take take the form of a documentary film, performance, or website, and requires a process paper with documented primary and secondary sources.
Through the ARTEFFECT Competition and the LMC Discovery Award, students develop original projects in the visual and performing arts and digital multimedia that champion these individuals as role models, while building their skills in research, critical inquiry, and creativity.
Now more than 15 years since its inception, educators and students worldwide participate in LMC’s project-based learning activities―unearthing the stories of Unsung Heroes and developing compelling projects as points of inspiration.
Contact
For inquiries, contact:
ARTEFFECT
Lowell Milken Family Foundation
1250 Fourth Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone: (310) 570-4859
Email: arteffect@lowellmilken.org
