St. John’s College and Indian Creek School Partner to Provide Teaching Fellowship for Graduate Students

ANNAPOLIS, Md. [December 17, 2024] – St. John’s College and Indian Creek School signed an agreement Monday to recruit the next generation of outstanding teachers. Indian Creek and the St. John’s College Graduate Institute have partnered to create a Teaching Fellows program, which will provide the opportunity for teachers to work part-time at Indian Creek while enrolled in the Graduate Institute’s Master of Arts in the Liberal Arts. The partnership will give aspiring educators experience in the classroom while also immersing them in the rigors of St. John’s renowned master’s program which focuses on a close reading and deep discussions about texts foundational to modern government and economics, science and mathematics.

“This partnership reflects the importance of independent institutions of education to attract and retain talent to the state of Maryland in teaching and other professions,” says St. John’s College President Nora Demleitner. “This new partnership with Indian Creek builds on others St. John’s College has undertaken to help address Maryland’s teacher shortage, including two ventures with Notre Dame of Maryland University to allow undergraduate students to gain teaching certification and a Joint Master’s-Level Teaching Certification.”

The Teaching Fellowship was officially established at a signing ceremony Monday morning between St. John’s President Demleitner and Booth Kyle, Head of Indian Creek School. Recruitment of the fellows will begin January 1 with the goal that fellows will begin in Fall 2025. Kyle said he expects to attract excellent candidates from across the nation. “The St. John’s Graduate Institute is one of a kind, and I think that young people who are interested in teaching will jump at the chance to be part of these two outstanding educational institutions. At Indian Creek, they will encounter excellent students and supportive, nurturing colleagues. At St. John’s, they will be part of a vibrant community anchored in the study of learning.”

“Both institutions have long been committed to teachers,” said Brendan Boyle, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs at St. John’s College. “The Graduate Institute was specifically created to bring the wonders of the St. John’s program of study to teachers. And Indian Creek is clearly deeply committed to the moral and intellectual growth of its faculty. We're honored to work with them to enrich both our communities.”

“This is a great day for Indian Creek, a great day for St. John’s, and a great day for education in the state of Maryland,” said Tyler Larkin, Director of Development at Indian Creek. Dean of Studies Sarah Allen, who will lead mentorship of the teachers throughout their two-year teaching fellowships at Indian Creek, agrees. “Indian Creek has benefited from having three Graduate Institute students on our faculty over the past few years, and through them we have seen first-hand the high caliber of educator that the St. John’s program attracts. Formalizing this partnership will benefit aspiring teachers and students at both schools for years to come.”

The St. John’s College Graduate Institute offers Master of Arts degrees in the liberal arts and in Eastern Classics. Courses may be completed over the summer or during convenient evening hours in the fall and spring, in person at the college’s Annapolis or Santa Fe campuses or online through the low-residency program. Applications are currently being accepted for the spring, summer, and fall terms of 2025. For more details and to apply, visit sjc.edu/academic-programs/graduate.

St. John’s College is the most distinctive college in the country due to our interdisciplinary program, in which 200 of the most revolutionary great books from across 3,000 years of human thought are explored in student-driven, discussion-based classes. By probing world-changing ideas in literature, philosophy, mathematics, science, music, history, and more, students leave St. John’s with a foundation for success in such fields as law, government, research, STEM, media, and education. Located on two campuses in two historic state capitals—Annapolis, Maryland, and Santa Fe, New Mexico—St. John’s is the third-oldest college in the United States and has been hailed as the “most forward-thinking, future-proof college in America” by Quartz and as a “high-achieving angel hovering over the landscape of American higher education” by the Los Angeles Times. Learn more at sjc.edu. 

Founded in 1973, Indian Creek School is a premier independent, college-preparatory, coed day school for students ages three through grade 12, located on a 114-acre wooded campus in Crownsville, Maryland. Indian Creek inspires authenticity, connection, and curiosity in its students and faculty. At Indian Creek, kindness is currency, well-being is priority, and excellence is relentlessly pursued in the classroom and beyond. For more information, visit indiancreekschool.org. 

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Sara Luell, Senior Director of Communications and Operations, St. John’s College, sara.luell@sjc.edu 

Tiffany McCormick, Director of Marketing and Communication, Indian Creek School, tmccormick@indiancreekschool.org