Two days after Meghan McCormick’s birthday, life handed her an unexpected present.
Two days after Meghan McCormick’s birthday, life handed her an unexpected present. The Haddonfield Memorial High School American history teacher was awarded the James Madison Fellowship, a surprise she never saw coming.
“I was so convinced that I hadn’t gotten it,” McCormick said. “It wasn’t real until I got home.”
Having only been a teacher for two years at HMHS, McCormick was shocked but thrilled to be awarded the James Madison Fellowship, a scholarship designed to support the further study of American history by college graduates who aspire to become or are teachers of American history, according to the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation.
This April, out of 53 fellowships awarded nationwide, McCormick received the award through the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation of Alexandria, Va., which allows for $24,000 to be put toward her master’s degree.
“What I really admire about the award is that it is not for people that are already the best teacher that they can be, its about helping you get to that ultimate goal that you have,” McCormick explained.
McCormick will be attending Rutgers in the fall and is expected to graduate with her master’s degree in American history in four years.
McCormick’s reasons for applying for the scholarship involve her passion for history, which dates back to her earliest memories of going to Philadelphia to see the historic landmarks.
“Some of my earliest memories are me running along cobblestones in Philadelphia, chasing my dad,” McCormick said. “He always took me to see the Betsy Ross House and the “Graff” house, and I always tossed pennies on Franklin’s grave, that was just very ingrained in my childhood.”
Although the University of Boston graduate tries to teach her students to be “good citizens” and vote, McCormick always wants her students to have skills that democracy values, she said. McCormick believes that by furthering her education through the scholarship, she will be able to better teach her students how to analyze and mobilize evidence, in addition to making informative arguments.
According to McCormick, from a constitutional standpoint, it is not just about regurgitating the words in the Constitution, but stepping into the shoes of the framers. McCormick hopes the James Madison Fellowship will help her add more perspective to the classroom.
Her co-workers weighed in to discuss why they believe she was selected, including her co-teacher, Rachel Lesse.
“She is dedicated to her work as a teacher, but also as a student,” Lesse said. “Meghan is extremely diligent, and anyone who engages in conversation with her can easily see her love for history and her desire to continue to learn about history.”
Echoing Lesse’s sediments, Jeff Boogaard, McCormick’s colleague, has known her not only as a fellow teacher but as a student. Teaching her in three classes, including A.P. U.S. History, A.P. U.S. government and politics, Boogaard believes she was selected for the award due to her “commitment to education” as well as her “strong work ethic.”
“Meghan is an asset to the HMHS community, and this well-deserved fellowship will contribute her success as an educator,” Lesse said.
