A national fellowship program will help Edgar Torres form a more perfect union of social studies knowledge and excitement in his classroom.
The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation selected Torres to participate in the 2026 James Madison Fellowship Program. The Northwest High School educator is the only Nebraska member of this year’s 45-person fellowship class, which includes social studies teachers from all corners of the country. The foundation chooses recipients based on their scholarly achievements and their demonstrated interest in pursuing a master’s degree focused on the United States Constitution.
Torres felt the fellowship program would help him grow as an American government teacher. The award will help pay for a master’s degree in political science that he is earning from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He will also study the origins and development of the Constitution for four weeks in Washington, D.C., next summer.
“I look forward to bringing back new knowledge about the Constitution and engaging lesson plans for our classrooms, so we can help students reach their full potential and contribute to our country’s future,” Torres said.
Lindsay Pierce said the fellowship would help Torres accomplish that goal. Pierce, who is Northwest’s social studies department chair, felt hundreds of Falcons would benefit from the Constitution-based lessons they will learn at school.
“It is so exciting to have a teacher selected for this fellowship in the early years of opening at Northwest,” Pierce said. “This is a testament to the quality education that Edgar is bringing and sharing at Northwest.”
LPS Social Studies Curriculum Specialist Jaci Grimes was also pleased when she heard Torres had earned the fellowship opportunity. She felt it was the latest example of how Lincoln Public Schools provides high-quality social studies education to students each year.
“This type of program not only allows teachers to grow in their knowledge and hone their craft, but also provides the opportunity for application to the classroom,” Grimes said. “In addition to his individual growth as a social studies educator, this program will provide the opportunity for Edgar to share his knowledge with his students as well as teachers and students across the district, state and nation, as he engages with collaborative opportunities throughout the duration of the program.”
Torres is continuing a strong tradition of LPS involvement with the James Madison initiative. Ben Herbel teaches social studies at the Science Focus Program and was selected for the national fellowship in 2024. He attended the James Madison Summer Institute at Georgetown University last year and has nearly completed a master’s degree program in American history from Gettysburg College.
Herbel said Torres would reap many educational benefits from participating in the program. Those academic deposits of knowledge will then flow down directly to Northwest students who will listen to Torres speak.
“The benefits of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship show up in my classroom every single day,” Herbel said. “First, it connected me with a brilliant network of Fellows nationwide who constantly discuss teaching practices and break down current events together. Second, the Summer Institute at Georgetown provided amazing learning for a social studies nerd like me. We studied under top Constitutional scholars and got incredible behind-the-scenes access to D.C.”
Torres said he is especially excited about “The Foundations of American Constitutionalism” course that he will take in the nation’s capital. He and his classmates will view historical artifacts, visit government institutions, and have in-depth conversations with scholars, judges and policymakers. The monthlong session will fulfill six of the 12 semester credits required for successful completion of the program.
“I am really looking forward to the Summer Institute because I will get the chance to hear from some of the nation’s top speakers on American government and the Constitution,” Torres said. “I have heard that even people who think they know a lot about the Constitution leave with much more knowledge than they expected.”
The fellowship program is named in honor of James Madison, who has been called the “Father of the Constitution” for his influence on the nation’s keystone document. Madison submitted the Virginia Plan to the 1787 Constitutional Convention, which included a three-branch government. He also proposed the adoption of a Bill of Rights when he joined the U.S. House of Representatives.
The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation was created by federal law in 1986 and is an independent agency of the Executive Branch. An academic committee selects applicants like Torres for the fellowship program each year. The foundation’s goal is to ensure students across the country learn about their Constitutional heritage.
Torres said it is a privilege to share important information about the Constitution and other key American history topics with Northwest scholars. He said he is inspired by the vision many Founding Fathers had for a well-informed and vibrant nation. He said those thoughts were best summed up by Thomas Jefferson, who wrote, “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”
“I applied for the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Program to improve the way I teach American government to our students,” Torres said. “Like Jefferson, I believe that our republic is only as strong as our ability to help our youth understand our democratic ideals.”
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