Professional Development at Athens Academy

Congratulations to the following six 2010-11 Oconee County Education Foundation Mini-Grant recipients from Athens Academy. Each project received $500, and participants were recognized at a county-wide ceremony on Thursday, May 20, 2010.

Stacy Mallet and Drew Brantley
Lewis and Clark Expedition and Land Survey Project

Mary Kline
Observation and Inquiry in the Elementary Classroom

Nikki Chester
Teaching Evolution and Genetics

Caroline Ridlehuber
Nurturing a Reading Habit

Marielle Newland
Cultural Enrichment through Music

Natalie Luke
Grammar Commercial Video Project

Posted by Pat Cuneo at 1:05 PM | Permalink

While so many physical enhancements were being made throughout the summer across Athens Academy’s campus, significant work was also taking place across the curriculum. In the third year of the Summer Curriculum Development Program, thirty teachers representing all four divisions of the school collaborated on seven different projects:
• The seventh grade team—Natalie Luke, Jennifer Rorabaugh, Marion Marvel, Tom Pee, Marielle Newland, Bess Durham, and Betsy Lilliston—worked together to identify and enhance a variety of opportunities to bridge the gaps between disciplines in 7th grade and continue to seek ways to energize the learning environment.
• Upper School English teachers Jeff Stachura, Maura Mandyck, Margaret Leary, Ley Brown, and Alan Hickerson collaborated to distinguish more carefully between levels of instruction in order to provide seniors with a greater number of choices at the 12th grade level.
• Preschool teachers Libby Carson, Beth West, Jenny Richardson, and Amy Ivy updated the K3 curriculum to align more closely with current research, identify new and better resources, and develop a pre-assessment skills checklist for ongoing differentiation of instruction.
• Upper School Science teacher Nikki Chester worked with colleagues Mary Kline, Drew Brantley, and Richard Patterson to extend the lessons learned in her Evolutionary Genetics course to other divisions in the school through collaborative student projects.
• Third grade teachers Sandra Kellett, Deborah Thurmond, and Alice McMaster focused on measuring student progress through pre- and post-assessments as a means of differentiating instruction.
• Julie Boyd, Barten Nealy, and Anna Scott worked to design gender-specific sessions to further support the goals of developing inter- and intrapersonal skills during the sophomore interim week.
• Upper School Mathematics teachers Mike Fitzsimmons, Anita Peng, Bethany Goldman, and Beth Farmer worked to finalize a source document which clearly defines the content- and skills-related standards of the Upper School mathematics department.

Providing teachers with opportunities to enhance what and how they teach must be a top priority for any school seeking continuous enhancement of its academic program. When properly aligned with the school’s mission, operating principles, and long-range goals, this important summer work encourages the sharing of ideas, demonstrates a commitment to thoughtful innovation, and results in meaningful, sustained discussions of the best approaches to teaching and learning.

Posted by Pat Cuneo at 12:57 PM | Permalink

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.

Posted by Sally Barnes at 3:33 PM | Permalink

From the 2009 issue of the Athens Academy Accent: Download file

Posted by Pat Cuneo at 1:49 PM | Permalink

On January 22, eight Athens Academy teachers and administrators got an exciting first-hand look at the Ron Clark Academy, an Atlanta middle school that has earned both national and international acclaim for its innovative and highly energetic approaches to teaching and learning. Jacqueline Land, Jennifer Rorabaugh, Stefan Billmayer, Ginna Ezernack, Caroline Ridlehuber, Brenda Klein, Bob Sears, and Pat Cuneo spent the day at the school meeting with teachers and students, observing classes, and attending workshops--all just hours after students and faculty from Ron Clark had returned from Washington, DC where they performed their song "Dear Obama" at four inaugural events.

Posted by Pat Cuneo at 8:50 AM | Permalink

Athens Academy staff member Robbie Link was recently recognized by the Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) for 25 years of outstanding work in independent schools. Mrs. Link has served as an administrative assistant at Athens Academy since 1984 and has spent many of those years as the assistant to the Upper School director. She previously worked at the University of Georgia. Mrs. Link was honored by the GISA at their annual conference in November at Brookstone School in Columbus, Georgia. GISA is an association of private, independent, and parochial schools throughout the state sharing “a commitment to overall excellence and to the nurture and care of the physical, intellectual, social and moral development of all students."

Posted by Sally Barnes at 8:27 AM | Permalink

Congratulations to Mary Kline and Jeri Burnette, winners of a 2008-09 mini-grant sponsored by the Oconee Chamber Education Foundation. Their project will involve placing signs which identify various plants along Athens Academy's cross country greenway.

Posted by Pat Cuneo at 12:04 PM | Permalink