Greenbrier County Schools proudly announces that Kevin Warfield, Engineering Instructor at Greenbrier East High School (GEHS), has been chosen as an Invention Education Fellow by Lemelson-MIT for the 2024-2025 academic year. This prestigious recognition highlights Warfield’s exceptional dedication to fostering innovation and creativity in education.
As an Invention Education Fellow, Warfield will play a crucial role in providing peer-to-peer support to educators across the United States as they embark on their journey of implementing invention education for the first time. Among thousands of educators, Warfield stands out for his exemplary work in integrating invention education into the curriculum.
Cristina Saenz, MIT School of Engineering Invention Education Manager, praises Warfield’s longstanding commitment to invention education, dating back to eight years ago when he introduced the concept to Greenbrier. Notably, Warfield has secured two InvenTeam grants, in 2017 and 2022 respectively, and was recently chosen as one of only three educators nationwide to pilot the new Inventing Smart Solutions Capstone course.
Saenz further acknowledges Warfield’s contribution to professional development opportunities for educators, highlighting his upcoming presentation at MIT’s summer workshop alongside his students. This event follows their participation in EurekaFest, where students from Greenbrier East will showcase their innovative projects.
“During my career, I haven’t set any personal goals other than to be the best teacher I can be to my students. I have received some recognition along the way, but it has never been a priority. When I went to MIT for professional development in 2016, I met several of the Fellows, who were kind and caring and who genuinely wanted to help me bring invention education to Greenbrier County schools. I told myself then that I wanted to elevate my teaching to be on the same level as those guys, like Doug Scott, Mark Westlake, and Chell Myrann, who inspired me to take a new approach to how I teach my students,” says Warfield.
Superintendent Jeff Bryant expresses Greenbrier County Schools’ pride in Warfield’s achievements, emphasizing his instrumental role in advancing the Invention Education Program. Bryant commends Warfield’s dedication, expertise, and transformative impact on both students and educators.
Warfield’s influence extends beyond the classroom, as evidenced by the remarkable inventions developed by GEHS Capstone Invention teams Alpha and Delta. Team Alpha’s adjustable height wheelchair (A.H.W.) aims to enhance mobility for individuals using wheelchairs, while Team Delta’s mask-integrated thermal imaging system (M.I.T.I.S.) enhances safety for firefighters.
Both teams are set to present their groundbreaking projects at MIT’s EurekaFest in June, underscoring the innovative spirit cultivated within Greenbrier County Schools under Warfield’s guidance.