The Life Guard Teacher Fellowship Program supports the creation of classroom materials and teacher resources about the life, legacy, and leadership of George Washington.
Fellows worked together in July 2021 to co-create resources that align with History and Civics Instruction and use the primary sources at Mount Vernon.
Arthur Everett
Arthur Everett is a social studies and instructional support services teacher at the High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology (HSTAT) in Brooklyn, New York. He holds a BA in Organizational Behavior from Brown University and a MS Ed in Teaching Students in Urban Settings from Long Island University.
Everett has served as a lead contributor in New York’s Public School curriculum development team and as an instructional leader, fellow, facilitator, and panelist to create equitable schools committed to inclusion. In 2016-2017, Arthur was awarded a Classroom Teacher Ambassador Fellowship with the US Department of Education and received the NY Empire State Excellence in Teaching Award from Governor Cuomo’s office in 2018. He is currently a national board member of the teacher advocacy organization Educators for Excellence (E4E).
Christine Kadonsky
Christine Kadonsky has taught ninth grade U.S. History at Wausau West High School in her Wisconsin hometown since 2001.
Kadonsky earned a B.A. and M.A. in History from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. She completed a James Madison Fellowship and later served as a James Madison Congressional Fellow. Kadonsky has participated in 26 out-of-state teacher seminars and study trips to six countries.
She has served as a Teacher Facilitator for George Washington Teacher Institutes at Mount Vernon. Kadonsky was recognized as the 2018 Wisconsin Social Studies (WCSS) High School Teacher of the Year and the 2010 Gilder Lehrman Institute Wisconsin History Teacher of the Year.
Derek O'Leary
Dr. Derek O'Leary currently teaches U.S. and DC history courses at Bard High School Early College in D.C. He completed his Ph.D. in U.S. History at UC Berkeley in 2020.
His book manuscript is entitled Building the American Archive in the Atlantic World, 1776-1876, which draws on research about Washington's archives, conducted at Mount Vernon. Watch out for a roundtable discussion he is convening at SHEAR 2021 in July on the afterlives of George Washington in the 19th century.
Janet Parks
Janet Parks is a multiple-subject elementary school teacher from Northern California.
She has taught fifth grade and early American history for the past seven years and enjoys bringing engaging instruction into the classroom.
She has a master’s degree in S.T.E.M. education and has worked on curriculum design for integrated S.T.E.M. units implemented district wide.
She is a certified National Geographic educator and an alumna of the Colonial Williamsburg and Monterey Bay Aquarium Teacher Institutes. She is a facilitator for district professional development and is passionate about her own professional growth.
Lesa Roberts
Dr. Lesa H. Roberts is the Curriculum Specialist at Whitesburg Christian Academy in Huntsville, Alabama.
She holds a B.S. degree in Counseling and Guidance from the University of Montevallo, a Masters and Educational Specialist degree in Elementary Education from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, and a Ph. D. in Literacy/Reading from Alabama A & M University.
She retired in 2016 from the Huntsville City School system after 28 years.
Lesa enjoys visiting US historical landmarks and national parks, participating in professional development opportunities, and writing American history curriculum.
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