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What's in a name? T.C. ‘Not the School' Martin knows
Fifth-grader shares well-known name
Friday, June 12, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by EMILY BARNES
Fifth-grader T.C. Martin, 10, stands in front of the school that was named after his great-great-uncle, T.C. Martin. Young T.C. attended T.C. Martin Elementary School from kindergarten through fifth grade and will be promoted to middle school today.
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Teachers at the school thought it was a typo at first when they looked at the attendance list; others thought it was amusing.
For young Thomas Carlyle "T.C." Martin Jr., going to a school named after his great-great-uncle was simply a coincidence.
"All my teachers recognized me right away," he said about the shared name.
T.C., 10, said that some teachers didn't believe he was actually related to the T.C. Martin that T.C. Martin Elementary School in Bryantown was named after. He had to do some convincing, though he admitted he does not like the added attention his name brought him over his six years at school.
T.C. said one of his teachers would tease him in a friendly way by shouting his name when he would pass.
The elementary school is named after T.C. Martin, who was a former superintendent of Charles County Public Schools.
Young T.C. has little interest in taking after his great-great-uncle, however.
"I like to ride roller coasters and doing things related to the arts," he said.
T.C. said when he gets older he would like to be an engineer and design roller coasters. His favorite coaster is the Volcano at Paramount Kings Dominion.
"He's such a well-rounded student," said Principal Sabrina Robinson-Taylor.
Robinson-Taylor said T.C. has his whole life mapped out already and he hasn't even left the fifth grade.
T.C. said he plans to continue his education in county public schools and then attend college at Johns Hopkins University.
T.C. said he likes the staff and students at T.C. Martin and he will miss them when he is promoted today.
T.C. will attend Milton M. Somers Middle School in the fall. He said he looks forward to not having the same name as the school and not having to walk in single-file lines as he often had to do in elementary school.
As for those who come after T.C. at T.C. Martin, he said "be nice to the teachers." If students are nice to teachers and get their work done, T.C. said they get awards. T.C. recently won the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award and was recognized before the Charles County Board of Education.
Robinson-Taylor said she doesn't foresee another T.C. Martin coming through the halls of the school for a very long time if ever. She said she looks forward to T.C. coming back to visit.
