Our Partners
A recap of the 2023-2024 PMC Civics Education Program. Available to download at the bottom of the page.
School Partners
PMC works with schools across Philadelphia and Delaware County with the goal of eventually becoming statewide. Our program is completely free, and we provide the curriculum. For the successful implementation of our program in the classroom, we ask our school partners to provide a consistent class period to facilitate, and that a teacher be present during our sessions. We have gotten great responses from both students and teachers. We are excited to continue growing and welcome new school partners. Please keep in mind that we schedule out a few months in advance to accommodate our volunteer lawyers and judges.
To become a school partner, please fill out our School Partner Form.
We have a wonderful group of school partners! Please find a list of our current school partners below:
Independent Mission Schools
St. Raymond of Penafort School
The DePaul Catholic School
SS. Cyril & Philomena
St. Raymond of Penafort School
St. Frances Cabrini
Our Mother of Sorrows / St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic School
Philadelphia School District
Furness High School
Jules E. Mastbaum Area Vocational Technical School
Parkway Center City Middle College
Potter-Thomas School
One Bright Ray Community High School
The U School
William McKinley School
Youthbuild Charter School
Colleges, Universities, & Community Partners
Community College of Philadelphia
Chestnut Hill College
We Love Philly
Volunteer Partners
PMC recruits lawyers and judges to serve as the teachers of our program in an effort to inspire students in legal career pathways. For each school we partner with, we offer programs once a month during an established social studies class period. This day and time will be the set schedule for the entirety of the school year. Our programs currently range from 10:00am-3:00pm. Ideally, for the sake of consistency and relationship building, we imagine that our volunteers commit to all eight sessions at one school. However, we realize that this can be a challenge, and so we ask our volunteers to commit to as many sessions as their schedule allows. We strive to make our process as simple as possible. We provide everything you need to be prepared for the classroom: lesson plans, handouts, PowerPoints, games, and more. We have received heartwarming responses from our current volunteers and look forward to welcoming more!
2023-2024 Volunteer Testimonials
“One of the best parts of my PMC volunteer experience is how energized I feel when class is over and I’m walking back to my car. I am always smiling to myself as I think about those young learners! They raise their hands - waving to catch my attention. They really seem to understand and appreciate the information we presented. They ask so many questions and they have lots to add with their own perspectives! PMC civics education programming has brought the real world into the social studies curriculum for these young people. My co-presenter, a lawyer, and I talk about our professional work in the courtroom and explain actual cases. We also comment on current news events. My PMC volunteer experience has been a wonderful personal project for me too.”
- Judge Frederica Massiah-Jackson, Ret.
"These are the amazing 7th-grade students at the DePaul Catholic School I had the pleasure of spending one class a month teaching throughout the academic year, through the Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts teaching program. Every day when Dañiela Wright and I would walk into class together, normally with a judge who would join us, the kids would give us a standing ovation....At the end, before we left, many of the kids came up to each of us one after the other, and hugged us. If you get asked to participate in the Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts teaching program, say yes. You'll be so glad you did. I said yes because Debbie Gross asked. I'm so glad I did."
- Sheryl Axelrod, Esq.
To become a volunteer, please fill out our Volunteer Form.
We are incredibly grateful for our volunteer presenters! Please find a list of our volunteers below:
Sheryl Axelrod
Leigh Ann Benson
Ellan Bernstein
Michael Berry
Colleen Coonelly
Matthew Coughlin
Vernon Francis
Jennifer Gomez Hardy
Sophia Lee
Mairi Luce
Patrick Martin
Wesley R. Payne IV
Alan Promer
Garrett Trego
Nina Spizer
Marc Zucker
& Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, and Chester County and Delaware County Courts of Common Pleas.
Nonprofit Partners
PMC is a proud member of the PA Civics Coalition. PA Civics is a statewide, bipartisan coalition with the mission of promoting excellent civics education programs and resources for Pennsylvanian students, teachers, and citizens. Our partners in this coalition range from former and current public officials to other nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations. Click here for a full list of PA Civics partners, and click here to check out all of the amazing work and engaging resources that they have to offer!
