Four MSD Wayne Educators Receive Lilly Endowment Fellowships

Teachers at the Ben Davis Ninth Grade Center, Chapel Glen Elementary, and Garden City Elementary are recipients of the 2018 Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellowship.

Now in its 31st year, the Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program gives teachers, principals, school counselors, and school media specialists and librarians financial support and encouragement to renew their commitment to the education profession. One hundred of Indiana’s K-12 educators will receive fellowships this summer. Each will receive a $12,000 grant to support a project of personally and professionally fulfilling activities.

Two recipients from the Ben Davis Ninth Grade Center applied jointly for the fellowship. Special education teacher Cory Carpenter and English teacher Ryan Collins will explore British Columbia and Alaska, enroll in woodcarving and survival classes, and carve a totem pole. Their project is called “Totem Poles, Spirit Animals and Symbols of the Pacific Northwest: Searching for Self in the Natural World.”

Chapel Glen Elementary teacher Shelly Hindman will utilize her fellowship grant to travel to England, Germany, France and Italy. In her project, “Legendary Castles of Europe,” she will photograph and gather video of castles and explore their influences on children’s literature.

Garden City Elementary teacher Sam Albano will explore history, culture, family history, and places of spiritual significance in Italy and Malta. His project is called “To Become a Renaissance Man and Instrument of Peace.”

“For more than 30 years, participants in the Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program have shared with us how their projects have helped renew their commitment to education and the students they serve,” said Sara B. Cobb, the Lilly Endowment’s vice president for education.

Including the 2018 class, more than 2,900 Indiana educators have received grants since the Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program began in 1987. The Endowment selected the 2018 fellows from a competitive pool of more than 540 applicants.

Photo of Lilly Endowment Fellowship Recipient Sam Albano
Sam Albano
Photo of Lilly Endowment Fellowship Recipient Ryan Collins
Ryan Collins
Photo of Lilly Endowment Fellowship Recipient Shelly Hindman
Shelly Hindman
Photo of Lilly Endowment Fellowship Recipient Cory Carpenter
Cory Carpenter