Contact: Jenni Brockman
Telephone: 804-443-3357 (w)
Fax: 804-443-6781
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
St. Margaret's Teachers Attend Advanced Placement Conference at Duke University
St. Margaret's veteran faculty members Louise Velletri and Shannon Spears are reaping the rewards of the Duke Talent Identification Program (TIP) for Advanced Placement Teachers they attended at Duke University, August 5 - 7.
The Duke University TIP is a non-profit organization focused on the development of academically gifted adolescents. Established in 1980, TIP has guided thousands of students toward many special academic opportunities. TIP's major activities include, "identifying academically talented adolescents, providing them with information about their abilities and academic options, conducting research on the nature of intellectual precocity, and administering challenging educational programs."
Each summer, TIP's Advanced Placement (AP) manuals are made available as tools teachers and interested schools can use in beginning or expanding an AP program. Neither TIP nor the course developers promotes these manuals as a definitive "rule" with regards to a particular subject area and how to teach it; rather each teacher is free to adapt the materials to his or her teaching style and abilities to suit the interests of the class.
Shannon Spears (l.) and Louise Velletri stand in front of the new school sign after Teacher Available (TA) last week.
"As Queen Isabella did not hand Columbus a map to go and find the New World, these AP manuals are intended merely as a tool to help us go and make discoveries on our own," comments SMS AP Modern European History teacher Louise Velletri. "There is not a 'right' or 'wrong' here, it's more of a resource for teachers to use as a supplement to their lesson plans."
Velletri, who lives in Tappahannock, began as St. Margaret's Dean of Residence in 1979. Today, she is the Chair of the History Department and teaches AP Modern European History and U.S. History. Velletri received her M.A. from the University of Maine and B.A. from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. In addition, Velletri works as the school's new teacher coordinator serving as a liaison between new and returning faculty. Currently, her U.S. History students are designing posters as advertisements for each of the thirteen original colonies hoping to attract "real" visitors.
Louise Velletri (l.) and Shannon Spears (r.) display their "Floyd proof" footwear with SMS boarding student Kristina Bethea, of Universal Park, MD, at breakfast on Thursday, September 16. After a bite to eat, the trio headed to the gymnasium to wait out Hurricane Floyd's strong wind and heavy rain.
Shannon Spears, a native of Social Circle, GA, earned her A.B. from Tift College (now Mercer University) and M.A. from the University of Georgia in Athens. Spears began teaching at SMS in 1972; currently, she is Chair of the English Department and faculty sponsor of St. Margaret's yearbook, The Channel. A member of the National Council of Teachers of English, National Association of Scholars, and Who's Who Among American High School Teachers, she teaches two sections each of AP Literature and British Literature.
"It is important to me to teach students to be independent learners and to write clearly and concisely, to see literature as a reflection of life, to value the lessons it has to teach, to enjoy reading, and to appreciate well-crafted writing," acknowledges Spears.
Looking back on TIP, Spears and Velletri are optimistic that their students will benefit from what they learned this summer at Duke University. "Advanced Placement courses are designed to push students and to give them a deeper understanding of subject matter that will better prepare them for college. We are optimistic that our students will feel more confident about their knowledge and unearth a wealth of information that is both new and inspiring to them."
