He is committed to develop the voice and efficacy of his students while improving the community they come from not only through his courses but also through his involvement with the Youth and Government club.  

Last year he had the entire 10th grade create social action documentaries focused on addressing local community issues ranging from teen pregnancy to nutrition. This year he and teacher, Sam Ullery have teamed up to understand waste and where it ends up, with the ultimate goal of reducing the amount the school sends to the landfill each day.

Sam Ullery

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in Landscape Architecture, Sam immersed himself in issues of environmental education and community empowerment. After spending two years in the Peace Corps working on agricultural education, Sam began teaching in New York City public schools to create community gardens and educate students in issues of environmental justice.  He now takes his success to Thurgood Marshall Academy, where he brings his knowledge and training to the AP environmental science class and Environmental Justice club. 

This year he has been connecting students to local environmental issues and is using the training he received from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden Master Composter Training to teach how to compost cafeteria food waste.

Opened in 2001, Thurgood Marshall Academy has only 360 students, offering small class sizes and lots of personal attention. This has resulted in a 100% college acceptance rate of the first two years of graduated classes. Additionally, the Thurgood Marshall students have testing scores that are three to four times higher than those of surrounding public schools. With these results, this school is contributing to the betterment of this often neglected community.

Scott Guggenheimer

For three years now, Scott has been giving classes to ninth through twelfth graders at the school in speech, debate, English and history.