Blair's own Unsung Hero

The award, sponsored by the Internationale Nederlanden Group (ING), honors 100 teachers nationwide for pioneering new teaching techniques.

According to the ING website, students who participate in Diversity Workshop develop a "deeper understanding of ethnic, religious, gender and other types of conflict" through exercises, discussions and role-playing.

Malone, who founded Blair's Diversity Workshop five years ago, describes the program as a "three-hour interactive program in which trained students lead other students in a series of exercises focused on recognizing and reducing prejudice and stereotyping."

According to Malone, MCPS currently does not provide a formal mediation or conflict resolution program, and Blair's Diversity Workshop is a product of many dedicated teachers and students. The workshop adapts exercises developed for adults to the needs of teenagers, and Blair's Workshop is unique in that it is completely student-led.

Malone believes Diversity Workshop is highly effective in promoting tolerance. "I have found it to be one of the most powerful tools in my teaching career for students understanding themselves and each other," she said.

Malone was also quoted in the National Education Association's (NEA) monthly magazine, NEA Today, on her involvement in the Collective Bargaining Education Project, sponsored by the George Meany Center for Labor Studies, in which students assume the roles of workers and employers.

In the future, Malone plans to use part of the prize money to hire graduates of the workshop to help train new leaders. Ultimately, she hopes to establish Diversity Workshops in all Montgomery County high schools.