Bret Dunlap, a social studies teacher at the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center, has been awarded a fellowship by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation of Alexandria in its 25th annual competition. Dunlap was the recipient of one of 53 fellowships that support the further study of American history.
Dunlap is in his second year as a teacher at the Juvenile Detention Center and his ninth year as a teacher. Dunlap worked in investment finance after studying finance and economics in college, but decided that he would get more out of teaching economics and personal finance than working in it.
“I like the feeling of accomplishment every day. In the investment finance world, it’s usually a win-lose situation. In teaching, there are many win-win situations and I go home every day feeling that students are making progress and learning,” said Dunlap.
Dunlap’s interest in civics and U.S. government is quite personal. While teaching a U.S. government course in 2012, he got a real-life civics lesson when his wife became a U.S. Citizen. His in-laws experience as part of the Solidarity movement in Poland also had an influence. They personally suffered for a chance at democracy and for their kids to have a better life. This has caused him to value our democratic process even more.
When he is not working, Dunlap enjoys crafting tables, plates, bowls and pens out of wood. But he most enjoys spending time with his young daughter and looks forward to dad duties.
“Mr. Dunlap is an intelligent, dedicated educator who is creative and extremely knowledgeable. His passion and enthusiasm for history is evident in his instruction. In class, Mr. Dunlap engages students with assignments that have real world application. It is wonderful to have such a highly capable educator working with our students,” said Principal Jeannette Allen.
The James Madison Fellowship is named in honor of the fourth president of the United States and acknowledged ‘Father of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.’ The award will fund up to $24,000 of coursework toward a master’s degree that includes a concentration of courses in the history and principles of the United States Constitution.
The award recognizes promising and distinguished teachers and serves to strengthen their knowledge of the origins and development of American constitutional government. As a result our nation’s secondary school students can be exposed to accurate knowledge of the nation’s constitutional heritage.
Founded by an act of Congress in 1986, the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation is an independent agency of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. In addition to offering fellowships, the Foundation undertakes other activities relating to secondary school education about the Constitution’s history.