Teacher Name: Matthew Lawrence
Position: 7-12th Grade Social Studies Teacher
Phone: 907-438-2411 Ext. 1
Email: mlawrence@smcsd.us
“When in the darkness, surrounded by the unknown, be the light that lifts others up and guides them towards a path to a better future.”
Welcome
My name is Matthew Lawrence, but around the school you’d hear everyone simply call me Lawrence. I teach 7-12th grade social studies and I have been teaching here at the St. Mary’s High School building for 7 years. In class, we don’t just study history. We complete many hands out projects, research activities, and cultural studies. I believe not only studying history is important, but also how to build a better future by learning from past events, people, and mistakes. We can learn much about the world today and the future by studying what others before us have experienced.
My interest in becoming a teacher came from my mother and my history teacher while I was in school. Both worked as teachers for many years and they poured their hearts into their work and made school a safe, fun, and welcoming place for students. I received my Bachelors of History Education at the University of Central Arkansas. I later received my Masters of Educational Leadership at the University of Alaska Southeast.
My wife and I just recently welcomed our first child into our family, a little girl. I enjoy hunting, spending time with my family, and wrestling. Wrestling has been a part of my life for the past 19 years. One of my proudest accomplishments is how much we have transformed the wrestling program at St. Mary’s since my arrival here.
Teaching at St. Mary’s was my first big adult move and the first time I had been so far from my family. The community, school, and culture were welcoming and taught me along the way. St. Mary’s will always hold a special place in my heart because it helped me find my family, calling, and has made me a better person.
