Meet the Founder
Hello! My name is Shannon Ward and I’ve taught third, fourth, and fifth grade for 30 years in the central Ohio area. My wife Sarah, who is also a teacher, has taught kindergarten for 10 years now. We have three sons, all married, four grandkids, and another on the way. I grew up in Findlay, OH and came to the Columbus area in 1992 to attend The Ohio State University. I graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Education degree in 1996, and then my Master of Education degree in 1998. My teaching career began in 1998 with Columbus City Schools, and I’ve since been with Hilliard City Schools since 2001. Each year, I enjoy creating a classroom and school-day that is structured, organized, and engaging for all my students, and hope it gives them the best opportunity to grow as young learners. In my free time, I love to read, workout, and spend time with my family and friends. I also love trying new coffee shops and restaurants around town with my wife.
My vision for Lionheart League began to take root in 2023 when my principal asked if I would help facilitate a program for boys. We’ve always had programs and events at my school for girls like ROX, Girls On The Run, and Girls Night Out, but we didn’t have anything specific for boys. Unfortunately, the initial attempt to facilitate an already established boys’ program lacked consistent structure and experienced leadership leading to its discontinuation.
It was the summer following this year that I started to read, think about, and outline ideas for creating a program of my own for boys. Then in the summer of 2025 I created a boys program called Lionheart League. Last year, I piloted the program with 12 boys and tweaked and improved the lessons and activities as the year progressed. The response from both students and parents was incredible! I think many of them had been waiting for something like this. I’ve also begun creating other after school events (found on this website) to provide even more opportunities for boys:
Grub, Games, & Guys- Both a social and physically active afterschool event
Books & Bros- Book clubs for boys
As I continue to research the status of boys and young men to better understand what we can do to help them thrive, it’s clear that support is needed. In the book, Of Boys and Men, author Richard Reeves argues that “modern societies have unintentionally created an environment where young men are falling behind in education, the work force, and personal purpose”. Over the past several decades, there’s been a huge emphasis on building up and empowering girls to become strong women, which is a great thing, and we want to make sure that the momentum for this continues and only gets stronger.
But as a result of this emphasis on girls and young women for such a long time, there’s been less of an emphasis on building up boys and young men, and the evidence shows girls are doing better on many fronts. It is my hope that Lionheart League and the resources available on this website will provide teachers and organizations with a framework for mentoring boys as they grow into strong, compassionate, and responsible men.
It is my sincere hope that students who complete Lionheart League will demonstrate increased self-discipline, emotional awareness, resilience, respect for others, and a stronger commitment to healthy habits, service, and living according to their core values. My ultimate goal is to provide boys and young men with a path to becoming strong individuals and leaders and perhaps one day strong husbands and fathers, which will then result in stronger families and communities.
Interested in bringing Lionheart League to your school or organization?
Explore our website to learn more about the curriculum and sidekicks available to help build a stronger foundation for boys.