Hillsborough High School Teacher Wins Nation’s Top Civics Education Honor

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — A Hillsborough High School teacher was among 45 fellows to be awarded a James Madison Fellowship.

The James Madison Fellowship is the United States’ most prestigious award in constitutional history and government for secondary school civics teachers.

The foundation awards the fellowships to outstanding graduate and undergraduate students committed to a career teaching about the development and history of the United States Constitution.

According to the foundation, the fellowship recognizes promising and distinguished teachers and is intended to strengthen their knowledge of the origins and development of American constitutional government.

Louis DiGirolamo of Hillsborough High School was among the 45 fellows selected by an independent academic committee in a competition that included applicants from all 50 states.

Fellows were chosen based on scholarly achievement and demonstrated interest in pursuing graduate study leading to a master’s degree with an emphasis on the U.S. Constitution.

Named for James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, the fellowship supports up to $24,000 of each fellow’s course of study toward a master’s degree.

Recipients also take on a service commitment tied to the award. Fellows are required to teach American history, government, or civics full-time in a secondary school for at least one year for each year of fellowship support.

The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation is an independent agency of the executive branch of the federal government created by law in 1986. Fellowships are funded by income generated through a trust fund in the Treasury of the United States, along with private gifts, grants, and endowments. For more information, visit www.jamesmadison.gov.

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