Woodside teacher awarded James Madison Graduate Fellowship
Posted: April 17, 2026
Janet Costello, a social studies teacher at Woodside High School, has been awarded the James Madison Graduate Fellowship for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation offers the $24,000 fellowships to individuals desiring to become outstanding teachers of the American Constitution at the secondary school level. The foundation awards the fellowship to one applicant per state annually.
“I am truly honored and so excited to be awarded this opportunity,” Costello said.
The foundation was founded in and has been funded by the U.S. Congress since 1986. It is a fellowship of educators who are passionate about teaching the Constitution and civic engagement, according to Costello.
Applicants must complete an extensive application and be chosen by a selection committee on a state-by-state basis. The applicants are awarded a fully-funded master’s degree program at the school of their choice, Costello said.
All recipients must complete a four-week fellowship at Georgetown University during the summer of 2027.
“The goal of this program is to enhance educators’ knowledge of the Constitution,” Costello said. “My personal goal with this program is to complete a master’s degree in teaching American government at Ashland University and obtain the requirements needed to teach dual enrollment government in Newport News Public Schools.”
