ORLANDO PARK TEACHER AWARDED PRESTIGOUS McCORMICK TRIBUNE FREEDOM MUSEUM—JAMES MADISON FELLOWSHIP
CHICAGO, June 1, 2007
The McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum announced Patrick Usher, a teacher at Carl Sandberg High School, as recipient of the prestigious McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum—James Madison Memorial Fellowship. The fellowship program, which supports the graduate study for promising and distinguished American History, American government and social studies teachers, falls within the museum’s mission to inspire students to understand, value and protect the First Amendment.
“As a leading institution dedicated to the study of the First Amendment we believe it is important to reward excellence in teaching by funding a James Madison Fellow,” said Dave Anderson, executive director of the Freedom Museum.
The fellows will receive up to $24,000 that will go toward a Masters degree in history, political science and education emphasizing the principles of the United States Constitution. In addition to the monetary award, Usher will sit on the Freedom Museum’s teacher advisory council.
The 57 James Madison Fellows were selected in competition with applicants from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the nation’s island and trust territories. The selection of fellows, determined by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation, recognizes promising and distinguish teachers who have a passion for teaching the importance of American history, government and our nation’s constitutional heritage.
“Throughout my life and career I was fortunate to be surrounded by teachers and colleagues that turned history into something that was more than history, names, dates and events,” said Patrick Ushers, a teacher at Carl Sandberg High School, in Orland Park, Ill. “For them it was about the personalities and thematic connections that brought the subject to life.”
The partnership between the Freedom Museum and the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation is part of the museum’s continuous commitment to be an educational resource for teachers and students by offering a comprehensive education program that includes curricula, field trips and teacher seminars.
About the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum
The McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum inspires generations to better understand, value and protect freedom. Through interactive exploration, visitors gain a greater understanding of the struggle for freedom in the United States and the role the First Amendment plays in society. The McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum is part of the McCormick Tribune Foundation team, which also includes the Robert R. McCormick Museum, Cantigny Park and Golf, the Cantigny First Division Foundation and five grant making programs.
A focus on children, communities and country binds the Foundation and its many parts and keeps us true to our mission of advancing the ideals of a free and democratic society. To learn more, please visit
www.McCormickTribune.org.
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