Transatlantic Scholars, Virginia-Ireland

Richard Brown, Ireland

Richard is a History, English and Politics and Society teacher at Galway Educate Together Secondary School in Galway, Ireland, Richard has completed a BA in English, History, and Theatre and Performance and a Postgraduate Masters in Education at the National University of Ireland, Galway.

He is passionate about inclusive education and harnessing students creativity to help them learn. Outside of school, Richard has a key interest in theatre.

John Heffernan, Virginia

Heffernan is a qualified History and Politics teacher currently working as Technology Enhanced Learning Co-ordinator with Tipperary Education and Training Board. He previously worked in Albemarle County Virginia as a Learning Technology Integrator. He has worked on a number of History and technology projects with Letters of 1916, Digital Public Library of America, Historiana, and the Declaration Resources Project (Harvard University). He is an alumnus of Monticello Teacher Institute, George Washington Teachers Institute, Gilder
Lehrman Institute’s Teacher Seminars, Translatlantic Scholars Programme (UVa/NAUK), and IWM Duxford AAM teacher residency.

Robert Shaw, Ireland

Robert Shaw is a teacher at The King's Hospital School where he is an assistant head of boarding and a teacher of History, Religion, Politics and Society, European Studies and CSPE, in short he spends a lot of time in school.  

Lee Mongold, Virginia

Lee Mongold is a seasoned educator with 16 years of experience in the field of social studies education, specializing in teaching AP Human Geography. With a passion for both teaching and exploring the intricate interplay between geography and culture, Lee brings a dynamic approach to the classroom, fostering an environment where students not only learn about the world but also engage with it firsthand. Through her years of dedication to education, Lee has demonstrated a commitment to nurturing a deeper understanding and appreciation of global perspectives among her students. Her experiences living all over the United States and in Europe as a military dependent, has made her able to provide unique experiences that her students can benefit from. She not only loves teaching AP Human Geography, she loves to travel to all the different landscapes around the world as well!  

Sarah McDermott, Virginia

McDermott has been teaching history for over twenty years. For the last eighteen, she has taught at Trinity Episcopal School in Richmond, VA.  She teaches IB History and Contemporary World History. In addition to her time in the classroom, McDermott serves as the Model UN sponsor and a senior class advisor. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Virginia Council for the Social Studies. One of the things that McDermott enjoys the most is helping students see the connection between local history and events, and global issues.

Kim Hammers, Virginia

High schoolers in Chesapeake, Virginia, get to spend time with Kim in the secondary classroom discussing topics related to AP United States Government and Politics. The opportunity to collaborate with students in Ireland is an exciting and engaging opportunity to further students’ abilities to posture themselves as global learners, thinkers, and citizens. Kim joins the program this year bringing with her a variety of instructional experiences, including serving as lead for her faculty’s PBL planning committee. She serves as an AP Reader and Table Leader, was the VCSS Teacher of the Year in 2019, and the Grassfield High School Teacher of the Year for 2020. Accolades aside, one of Kim’s professional strengths is providing service learning to students at her school, such as an annual visual display of American flags planted in front of school to honor Veterans Day. From grassroots to global experiences, Kim loves bringing new and unique opportunities to her students.