Four CMSD Educators Named 2026 Jennings Fund for Teachers Fellows

The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation selected four Cleveland Metropolitan School District educators as 2026 Jennings Fund for Teachers Fellows, recognizing their work and funding global learning experiences for their classrooms. 

The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation supports self-designed fellowships that help teachers deepen expertise and bring real-world learning to students. 

This year’s CMSD fellows represent a wide range of schools and subject areas, each pursuing a unique project designed to expand student learning beyond the classroom. 

Irene Clement, a teacher at Cleveland Metropolitan Remote High School, will travel to Mérida, Mexico, to study the Mayan language and culture at the Na’atik Language and Cultural Institute. Immersed in a rural Mayan community, she will live with a host family, participate in cultural traditions, and explore archaeological sites to connect language learning with history and identity. 

“I like to tell my students when I travel, and they know I love to travel,” Clement said. “Having the opportunity and the funds to actually go into a community and learn in this way is beyond exciting.” 

Her experience will directly support a new course, Spanish Exploration, designed to deepen students’ understanding of language, culture, and global connections. 

“I want students to see language not just as a tool for communication, but as a gateway to understanding the world and their place within it,” she said. 

Clement is one of four CMSD educators using the fellowship to expand learning beyond the classroom, joined by three colleagues pursuing equally impactful global experiences: 

Joseph Galaszewski, of William Rainey Harper School, will travel to London, England, to immerse himself in the city’s cultural, historical, and literary landscape. His experience will help strengthen more inclusive, globally informed teaching practices and expand students’ exposure to diverse perspectives. 

Carla Neely, of Andrew J. Rickoff School, will participate in Earthwatch’s Teach Earth Fellowship in Costa Rica, focusing on climate science and ecology. Through hands-on research, she will bring authentic, inquiry-based learning experiences back to her classroom, helping students see themselves as scientists whose ideas can impact their communities. 

Tyrone Pope, also of Cleveland Metropolitan Remote High School, will travel to Ghana to document the country’s cultural heritage and modern development through a travel vlog. His project will connect classroom learning to real-world social and economic issues, equipping students with knowledge and skills to become informed global citizens.