"Unsung Heros" at Hamilton Elementary win Grant for Innovative Program

What Can One Little Person Do? is an innovative teaching program designed for fourth graders at Hamilton Elementary School in North Kingstown to learn about the civil rights movement, slavery, the Underground Railroad and an important still-unfinished chapter in American history.

Using a multi-sensory approach, the children experience what it’s like to be a slave on the run in the Underground Railroad, what communication systems they used and experience the music and dance of the Harlem Renaissance, to name just a few elements to the dynamic and engaging program.

And the program has now been granted a $2,000 boost thanks to Voya Financial, who announced that a group of North Kingstown teachers were selected among a pool of thousands as just one of 100 teams around the country in their Voya Unsung Heroes Grant for Innovative Teaching program.

Sally Levesque, June Dowiot, Virginia Drought and Jenna Smith are now part of a team competing for even bigger prizes in the next round of the grant competition. They could win $5,000, $10,000 or $25,000 more from the retirement investment planning company.

“Voya Financial is honored to salute these outstanding teachers who have the vision to pioneer new methods and techniques in the classroom that inspire learning,” said Bernie Heffernon, senior vice president of Tax-Exempt Markets for Retirement Solutions at Voya Financial. “Each day, we help individuals prepare for a secure financial future and we are proud to recognize these men and women who prepare students for their future. We understand that teaching is one of the most important professions in the world and are pleased to help Sally and her colleagues continue making a life-long, positive impact on the children they teach.”

The program at Hamilton Elementary is designed to teach students about the history of the south and slavery at the same time as it fosters an appreciation for diversity.

“Ultimately, the students will benefit by not only learning the facts of history but also by becoming aware of the importance of diversity and tolerance in a democratic society. The teachers hope to inspire their students to be the one little person to make the world a better place,” a release stated.

To learn more about this year’s winning projects, as well as those from previous years, visit the Unsung Heroes website (unsungheroes.com). Applications for the 2015 Voya Unsung Heroes awards are currently being accepted through the website until April 30, 2015.

Photo: Sally Levesque (Courtesy Voya Financial)