Haddonfield Memorial High School social studies teacher Margaret Gammie has done just that by enriching the lives of the HMHS community with every passing day.
Every so often, we encounter people who display a passion for not only making the world around them better, but future generations as well. Haddonfield Memorial High School social studies teacher Margaret Gammie has done just that by enriching the lives of the HMHS community with every passing day.
Graduating summa cum laude with a history education degree from Delaware State University four years ago, Gammie was eager to find a job where she would be able to inspire students to want to learn more about history. Luckily, Haddonfield gave her the opportunity to spread her wings.
A month after graduating, Gammie got a job at HMHS and admitted she was “thrilled” to have the chance to work closely with freshmen and sophomores, unlocking their excitement to learn about American and world history.
“My favorite part of teaching is when students ask questions and it just takes us to a deeper place in the material,” Gammie said. “Here, you have some naturally curious kids and kids who want to participate.”
Gammie grew up in Cherry Hill and graduated from Cherry Hill High School East where her thirst for knowledge made her stand out among the crowd. Rachel Lesse was one of Gammie’s teachers in high school, and from a young age, Lesse knew her work ethic as a student would transfer seamlessly with her into adulthood as a teacher.
“Maggie was one of the brightest and hardest-working students I encountered, which certainly did not change when she decided to become an educator,” Lesse said.
Lesse, now a co-worker of Gammie’s at HMHS, feels the same way she did about her as a student, saying not only does Gammie enjoy helping others, but will go above and beyond to do so.
“She spends countless hours even after the school day has ended perfecting and organizing lessons in addition to providing extra support for her students,” Lesse said.
In addition to immersing herself in her work, Gammie’s professional nature has also gathered the respect and appreciation of her colleagues and students, according to Lesse.
Last April, out of 53 fellowships awarded nationwide, Gammie was awarded the James Madison Fellowship by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation of Alexandria, Va., which allows for $24,000 to be put toward her master’s degree.
“The thing about Haddonfield is that the teachers here are so accomplished, and so hard-working, doing things outside of school. We are not required to get the master’s degree, but that is the bar that has been set,” Gammie explained. “I think it’s also important to show the students that it’s important to keep working for something, to keep learning, and it will make me a better teacher.”
Since winning, Gammie started last fall at Rutgers University-Camden, where she plans to get her master’s degree in American history. To win the award, Gammie had to go through a rigorous process of gathering recommendations, in addition to writing multiple detailed and lengthy essays. Having worked on the application over the course of months, the moment she found out was one of the best days of her life, according to Gammie.
“I had a freak out moment in my car,” Gammie said. “It was a really special day, it was awesome.”
Outside of the classroom, Gammie is an advisor and facilitator for the 50/50 Club, a club geared toward fighting for gender equality and feminism, as well as an advisor of the LEO Club that works with the Lions Club to participate in community engagement and charitable activities in and around Haddonfield.
“We at the Haddonfield Lions Club greatly appreciate all that Maggie does to make the LEO Club successful and provide kids with opportunities to serve the community,” Richard Eastwick, a retired Haddonfield teacher and the liaison between the LEO Club at HMHS and the Haddonfield Lions Club, said.
Gammie plans to continue her education while watching her students become pillars of the Haddonfield community and beyond.
“They are a great group. Our society is in good hands,” Gammie said with a smile.
