RVMS students honored for documentary work
Three eighth-grade students at Royal Valley Middle School have won the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes' 2016 Discovery Award for a documentary they created that honors Emma Darling Cushman, an American nurse who saved thousands of Armenian children during the Armenian genocide, it has been announced.
Colin Caviness, Luke Boyden and Colin Everts, under the guidance of history teacher Nate McAlister, won the $7,500 grand prize in the international contest, it was reported.
Their award-winning documentary, “A Light In The Darkness,” brings to light the little-known story of Cushman, who cared for thousands of Armenian children during and after World War I.
In addition to caring for countless orphans, Cushman served as acting consul of the Allies and Neutral Nations, overseeing millions of dollars in relief funds and prisoner exchanges.
The Lowell Milken Center defines an unsung hero as someone who created a positive change in history by improving the lives of others and has yet to be recognized for his or her actions.
In the 10-minute video, the students interviewed a relative of Cushman, a descendant of an Armenian orphan, an Armenian priest, a UCLA professor and others.
Because of their discovery of, and robust research on, Cushman, the students have been given the honor of inscribing her headstone at the American cemetery in Cairo, Egypt. Cushman was buried in an unmarked grave upon her death in 1930 due to blackwater fever.
A total of $14,500 in prize money was given by the Lowell Milken Center to students who discovered Unsung Heroes whose actions positively changed the course of history and improved the lives of others, it was reported.
An awards ceremony for the students is being held at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday at Royal Valley Middle School in Mayetta.
The documentary can be viewed at lowellmilkencenter.org/2016-discovery-award-winners
