Olympic Silver Medalist and junior high school teacher Tim Morehouse.

While researching remarkable educators, I often come across examples of teachers who have made their mark as accomplished athletes. I also read about many teachers who support their sport in the community. Both are true of fencer Tim Morehouse, an Olympic Silver Medalist who founded a program for promoting fencing in schools around the country.

Tim was born July 29, 1978, in New York City, New York. His grandmother was a Jew who immigrated to the United States after her escape from Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Tim was raised in the Bronx and attended Riverdale Country School in New York City. While in high school, he played baseball and cross country. He was also a part of his school’s fencing team. He served as the team’s captain, and was named the squad’s Most Valuable Player during his junior and senior years.

Once he graduated from high school, Tim attended Brandeis University, a private institution located in Waltham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. While there, he was ranked in the top ten of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 Men’s Sabre, and he was named an NCAA All American for three of his four years.

He earned his Bachelor’s degree in History in 2000. Following his college graduation, he earned a Master’d degree in Teaching from Pace University, a private university located in Manhattan in 2003. After earning his degrees, Tim completed a two-year stint for Teach for America. He taught underprivileged seventh graders at Intermediate School 90 in Washington Heights, Manhattan. During this time, the talented athlete also coached the fencing team at his alma mater, Riverdale Country School.

He also continued his amateur career as a fencer. He was ranked number one in the United States from 2008 to 2011. He earned US National Championships in 2010 and 2011. Most impressively, he attended the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing as a member of the US Fencing team. There he earned a Silver Medal in the Men’s sabre event.

Today, the former classroom teacher supports a variety of non-profit organizations. He also serves as an Athlete Ambassador for Right to Play, an organization working with volunteers and partners to use sport and play to enhance child development in disadvantaged neighborhoods. In 2011, the former classroom teacher founded the Fencing in the Schools Foundation, a non-profit that offers fencing to underprivileged kids throughout the country.

Tim Morehouse: a true chalkboard champion.