Recent Professional Development Activities
Athens Academy believes that high-quality, ongoing faculty development is one of the best investments a school can make. Over the summer, several Athens Academy teachers and administrators continued to strengthen their skills in a wide variety of areas. The following are just a few examples of how our teachers spent some of their time this summer:
~ Fourth grade teacher Mary Ann Naclerio learned about innovative approaches to literature instruction in Raleigh, North Carolina.
~ Physical education teacher James Banks participated in two regional workshops, “Helping Boys Succeed in School” and “Effective Strategies for Discipline.”
~ Upper School mathematics teacher Bethany Goldman took part in the Klingenstein Summer Institute sponsored by Teachers College at Columbia University.
~ Upper School Spanish teacher Carmen Sherer served as a reader for the AP Spanish Language exam in Cincinnati, Ohio.
~ Preschool Coordinator Melton Weekley and pre-first teacher Robin O’Rear participated in a conference on differentiated instruction in Dallas, Texas.
~ Upper School Latin teacher Kelly Ryan took part in a week-long spoken Latin conference in West Virginia.
~ Middle School teacher Donna Hopper spent time at Plant Vogtle at the Southern Nuclear Company’s Science Teachers’ Workshop.
~ Preschool and Lower School Science Coordinator Mary Kline attended “Teaching Smart,” a workshop on effective uses of the interactive whiteboards installed in the Lower School Science Center 1st and 4th grade classrooms.
~ Thom Beaulieu, Upper School physics teacher, participated in the AP Physics BC Institute held at the University of Georgia.
~ Brenda Klein, Bob Sears, and JP Watson attended the Peabody Professional Institute for Independent School Leadership at Vanderbilt University.
~ Middle School counselor Carrie Olson and Upper School health and physical education teacher Brian Olson attended new instructor training for the Prime For Life Program.
~ Drama teacher Lorraine Thompson attended a Writer’s Workshop in Wildacres, North Carolina, and a choreography and music for performance workshop in Atlanta.