Matt is a dedicated educator, mentor, and citizen. In high school, I was fortunate to be one of Matt’s students in world history and dual enrollment government. I looked forward to his classes because of his passion for teaching, history, and civics. Matt made history and government interesting and relatable thanks to a deep understanding of the subject matter and a conscious effort to connect to teenagers. Every day was a new lesson. Some days, his students found him dressed up like a medieval lord. The next day, he was the first teacher to incorporate SMART Board technologies into his lesson plans. By the end of the same week, we found ourselves attending town hall meetings after school and planning the perfect political campaign for a hypothetical candidate. Matt made learning fun, effortless, and meaningful.
I also had the pleasure to work with Matt when I founded a political club at the high school. Matt volunteered his time after school to serve as our faculty sponsor. He was invaluable as a mentor, offering advice on running the club and identifying new activities for our members. What was even more inspiring was that he also volunteered to mentor a club of the opposite political party. He was our role model for bipartisanship, and I am still thankful for his lessons.
After teaching full-time and supervising after-school activities, I always saw Matt at football games, basketball games, band events, you name it. He has true school spirit and is always willing to support his students in and outside of the classroom.
When I started applying to college, I looked to Matt for advice. From letters of recommendation to advice on where to buy cheap textbooks, he was always available and willing to help. His honest feedback and encouragement gave me the courage to become the person I am today. I cannot recommend Matt highly enough and am confident that he will succeed in his future endeavors.
-Grace Perkins, Lancaster High School, Class of 2010