By Peter Sclafani, Packet Media Group
A Hillsborough High School graduate will be joining the ranks of the Teach for America Corps this fall.
Vincent Amendolare graduated in 2008 and attended Penn State University where he studied finance.
This fall, however, Mr. Amendolare is in for a change of a pace. He will be venturing down to rural South Carolina where he will teach English at the Marlboro County High School for the next two years.
”I’ve always wanted to be a teacher,” Mr. Amendolare said. “I want to be able to reach out to kids and get them interested in learning.”
Teach for America partners with communities that are trying to expand the educational opportunities for children who are faced with the challenges of poverty, according to its website.
The teachers of Teach for America believe change is possible, and children, even those facing extreme poverty, still can achieve at high levels.
Mr. Amendolare has made the commitment not only to teach impoverished students for the next two years, but also to be a lifelong mentor for the students he teaches.
Approximately 48,000 recent college graduates applied to be a part of the Teach for America Class of 2012, and 5,800 people were accepted into the program, marking the biggest group Teach for America has ever had.
Mr. Amendolare was part of one of the most diverse candidate pools in the program’s history, according to Teach for America’s Regional Communication Manager Gabriela Barahona.
Thirty-eight percent of the first-year teachers identify themselves as people of color, and 23 percent of them were the first people in their family to receive college degrees.
This year, Teach for America will have more than 10,000 first- and second-year teachers in its ranks, sporting a combined grade point average of 3.55. The teachers represent more than 600 colleges and universities across the country.
”More than 16 million children are growing up below the poverty line, and unless things change, only 8 percent of them will get through college by the time they’re 24,” said Wendy Kopp, founder and CEO of Teach For America.
Mr. Amendolare and his fellow teachers hope to change that through hard work and dedication to their students.
Hillsborough High School was Mr. Amendolare’s home for four years before he attended Penn State. He said he has fond memories from his time spent at the high school.
Mr. Amendolare played soccer at Hillsborough, and he said he hopes he will be able to become involved in the Marlboro soccer team and student government.
”I am a firm believer in trying to connect with my students and get them to be engaged in the classroom and take charge of their own education,” he said. “I want to be able to bring the Hillsborough High School experience to my students.”

