FHS Fellowship Receipient Says He is "Energized"

Above, Mark Terra-Thomas and family in Philadelphia, L-R Liam, Emily, Mark and wife Thelma.

Earlier this year, the Jack Miller Center, a civic education non-profit, announced that it had chosen 15 teachers from across the country for its American Civic Tradition Fellowship, a yearlong program for middle and high school teachers designed to deepen their understanding of key American historical texts and strengthen their use of primary sources in the classroom.

One of those chosen, was Mark Terra-Thomas, a teacher from Franklin High School.

The program kicked off with an in-person institute in Philadelphia from July 19-24 and will continue with virtual sessions for the next year. At the summer institute, seminars focused on American documents and primary sources, providing and opportunity for the teachers to be students again, learning from the faculty and one another. Then, throughout the academic year, the cohort will participate in virtual sessions where each fellow presents a new lesson built from the summer readings, and the group will discuss testing new materials and share their successes and challenges.

Other fellows participating in the program with Terra-Thomas include:

Brett Almasi: Dover-Foxcroft, Maine (Foxcroft Academy)

Louis Colletti: Balsam Lake, Wisconsin (Unity High School)

Megan Edwards: Plaquemine, Louisiana (Math, Science, & Arts Academy-West)

Lisa Gibson: Virginia Beach, Virginia (Ocean Lakes High School)

Patrick Lawton: New London, Wisconsin (New London High School)

Alyson McIrvin: Caldwell, Idaho (Heritage Community Charter School)

Tyler Nice: Springfield, Oregon (Thurston High School)

Anthony Nobles: Virginia Beach, Virginia (Plaza Middle School)

Lamont W. Odufuye: Chicago, Illinois (Ignite)

Steve Olson: Bloomington, Minnesota (Kennedy High School)

Aisha Samuels: Sharpsburg, Georgia (East Coweta High School)

Deborah Scott-Pease: Murrieta, California (Warm Springs Middle School)

Lisa Tarkoff: Tustin, California (Red Hill Lutheran School), and,

Quintarries Upshaw: Pensacola, Florida (Workman Middle School)

“We’re thrilled to welcome the fellows to Philadelphia this July for an impactful week learning from top professors in the JMC network,” said Lauren Altobelli, Director of the Founding Civics Initiative at JMC. “Fellows will return to their classrooms in the fall with deeper knowledge, new teaching strategies, and more confidence to educate students in American history and civics.”

Terra-Thomas said his love for history is long and deep, recalling stories his mother told him about where she was and what she experienced when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and brought the nation suddenly into World War II. Sharing that love of history is what motivates him at FHS and through more than two decades in education during which he has taught 7th-12th grades and a range of Social Studies courses including psychology, sociology, US History, World History, and AP US Government and Politics.

Regarding his experience in Philadelphia, Terra-Thomas said the biggest takeaway was_something Lincoln once said in his Lyceum speech early in his career, the founding generation, “…were the pillars of the temple of liberty; and now that they have crumbled  away, that temple must fall, unless we, their descendants, supply their  places with other pillars, hewn from the solid quarry of sober reason."

"Given all of the issues facing our country today, it is up to us, the  regular citizen to do our part in our life times. Teaching this to  students, is both humbling and an honor. A task I feel energized to be a part of," Terra-Thomas added.