George Washington’s Mount Vernon has selected four educators to participate in a residential fellowship program at the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington. The Life Guard Teacher Fellows Program enables classroom teachers and educators to conduct short-term residential research on a variety of themes inspired by the life, leadership, and legacy of George Washington.
Fellowship recipients include:
Robin Ferrell is currently the librarian at McLain Seventh Grade Academy in Tulsa, Okla., after previously serving as an elementary librarian for 8 years, and a middle and high school English teacher for 11 years.
Kim Pennington is a social studies content specialist at the University of Oklahoma’s K20 Center. She taught junior and senior high school social studies for 18 years, and has worked with pre-service teachers for 10 years.
Eric Schmalz grew up in Mount Vernon and currently teaches world history at Monticello High School in Charlottesville.
Dr. Linda Wilson is an associate professor in the curriculum and instruction program in the Elementary Education Department at Northeastern State University in Broken Arrow, Okla. She has taught students in grades 1-12, as well as 34 different university level courses.
The 2014-2015 fellows will conduct on-site research on an array of topics, beginning this fall and continuing through summer 2015.
The program is made possible by the support of The Life Guard Society, a group of donors to the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association who frequently champion education-based causes and initiatives.
The program is available to classroom teachers (grades 3-12), curriculum specialists, media specialists, and to those engaged in university-level teacher training.