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Photos courtesy of Mr. Borda
Social-studies teacher Mr. Borda has retired after 28 years of a dedicated career. As quoted in the South Philly Review, Mr. Borda notes, “Most people agree that most Americans don’t know enough about geography. I teach World History and I teach about everywhere and many kids don’t know [much information] about Philadelphia, PA, and the United States.” He adds, “I started teaching the day I was out of college at Our Lady of Mount Carmel.”
In 1969, at age 3, Mr. Borda immigrated with his mother and two siblings from Calabria, Italy, joining his father in Philadelphia. He attended Masterman Middle School and recounts how he was teased for his ethnic name, “Luigi.” He returned to his neighborhood middle school and later attended Central High School. However, he eventually came back to Masterman, this time staying for 28 years as a teacher.
Reflecting on his first years of teaching, he wished he had known that “less is sometimes best, and it may be more important to do some things well instead of lots of things [with mediocrity].” Throughout his time at Masterman, Mr. Borda taught different aspects of social studies, including seventh-grade World Geography for more than a decade, eighth-grade U.S. History for over five years, ninth-grade World History for over 10 years, and 12th-grade Government for one year. In addition to social studies, he worked in the now-defunct middle and high school Gifted Program and taught Italian language and culture for two years. Mr. Borda remarks that he has taught in every room at Masterman, including the lunchroom, the library, and the auditorium.
Mr. Borda was more than a devoted and enthusiastic teacher. He is known to many Masterman staff, students, and families in other roles: seventh-grade dean; representative of the building committee; leader and member of the Sunshine committee; and member of the School Advisory Council.
Many will also remember Mr. Borda as a passionate athlete and coach. He coached varsity cross country for about 10 years, varsity bowling for three years, middle school track for three years, and introduced Students Run Philly Style and Girls on the Run to Masterman. When asked about his love of running, Mr. Borda explains, “Running can clear my mind and heal my body…beep and BEEP! I started running specifically because I was running away from turning 40 because I was afraid of getting old. I thought that was the easiest way to get in shape because I had two young daughters, and I couldn’t leave the house. I would literally put them in the front window and they’d watch me run around the block, and if they weren’t there [still in the window], I would run into the house to see if anything was wrong.”
Merging his love for running and advocacy for public education funding, Mr. Borda ran 100 miles to Harrisburg. “About 10 years ago,” Mr. Borda recalls, “Governor Tom Corbett cut public education funds by, like, one third. So a lot of things had to be cut from the budget.” To raise awareness of the public school’s plight, Mr. Borda decided to run from Philadelphia to Harrisburg. He also started Laps for Education at Masterman, originally to support the continuation of middle sports. Now, through Laps, students can give money to any school club they would like to support.
Mr. Borda has many plans for the future. He wants to “continue to increase awareness of the plight of our city schools by recruiting educators and public school advocates to run for elected office,” “drive across America to visit the 24 states” he has not yet visited, and write sequels to his children’s book, Andiamo, Let’s Go!, extending the series to include all states. Mr. Borda also plans to continue helping his loved ones, committing to doing at least one act daily that would not have been possible to do if he were still teaching.
Mr. Borda leaves Masterman with this parting message: “A big heartfelt thanks to former students and colleagues from Our Lady of Mount Carmel in South Philly, William Penn High in North Philly, and J.R. Masterman in Center City… beep-beep-beep!”
And lastly, a list of some of Mr. Borda’s favorite things (“You can tell I have issues making decisions,” he says):
Movie: Forrest Gump and Breaking Away
Song: “Philadelphia Freedom” by Elton John and “Greatest Love of All” George Benson
Novel: Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom and Born to Run, by Chris McDougal (Both authors are also friends of Mr. Borda.)
Sandwich: For lunch: chicken cutlet, broccoli rabe, roasted peppers, sharp provolone. For breakfast: eggs, sweet peppers, mushrooms and onions.
Type of Weather: Hot if Mr. Borda can play outside all day, and rain if he can sit in the sunroom and read all day.
Quote: “I don’t know the secret to success, but the secret to failure is trying to please everybody.” - Many authors
Pizzeria in Philadelphia: Luigi’s Pizza Fresca in Fairmount and Uncle Oogies… Pronounced oo-EE-gees (“Luigi,” as a child would say it.)
Mr. Borda is a passionate, fun, and engaging teacher, athlete, and advocate for education. He leaves behind a legacy of joy, integrity, advocacy, and positivity. Thank you, Mr. Borda!
From the Masterman Community…
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