ADVANCED PLACEMENT SUMMER INSTITUTE CONSULTANTS

CALCULUS AB

Tom Ahlschwede has been an AP calculus AB and BC teacher for eight years and his sessions provide participants with many hands on and interactive activities that can be used in the classroom.  Technology infused lessons, ideas, and simulations are explored with graphing calculators, dynamic geometry software, and web site applets to name a few.  Experiences from AP reading sessions are also shared and a comprehensive look at the Acorn and points of emphasis are also included.  Participants will see math come alive via the AP Calculus curriculum with connections to real world applications and historical perspectives. 

CHEMISTRY

Don Gribbons is a twenty-two year veteran teacher of Advance Placement Chemistry at Nashoba Regional High School in Bolton, Massachusetts.  For the past eight years he has offered both one day and week-long workshops in the New England region, New York, and Florida.  He was selected in 2006 by the College Board to lead the National Workshop for beginning AP Chemistry teachers.  The overall purpose of his workshop is to present classroom and laboratory strategies that are simple to implement and proven to produce success. In addition to his teaching duties, he has severed as a mentor for over 10 chemistry teachers, while having served as a cross country and track coach for the past thirty years.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION

Shirley Counsil has been teaching AP® Literature and Composition at Spanish River Community High School for 22 years. She has been a reader for the College Board since
1992 in not only AP® but also SAT II, CLEP, GMAT, and other exams. Shirley became a consultant in 1995 and has been conducting both one day and weeklong workshops since then. She is currently serving as lead consultant for the College Board in developing new workshops for Pre-AP® and has recently been selected as a College Board National Leader.

ENGLISH LITERATURE & COMPOSITION

Conni Shelnut has taught at Lakeland High in Lakeland, Florida, for 29 years. Currently, she teaches AP® Literature, AP® Language, and pre-AP English. A National Board Certified Teacher; she has a master’s degree from the University of Florida, and was the 2002 Florida English Teacher of the Year. She is a Table Leader for the AP® Literature exam and is an endorsed College Board consultant for the AP® English Literature, AP® English Language, and the SAT. She also has co-authored a pre-AP English workshop on passage analysis and has trained consultants nationally.

MUSIC THEORY

Melissa Cox is a lecturer in Music Theory at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a long-time AP Music Theory examination reader and a member of the AP Music Theory Test Development Committee, for whom she serves as College Board Advisor. Before coming to Emory, Dr. Cox taught AP Theory for fifteen years in Tucson, Arizona. She regularly conducts institutes and workshops throughout the United States.

STATISTICS

Jeane Swaynos has been teaching for over 20 years and teaching Advance Placement Statistics since 1998. She has been a reader for 6 years and is presently in her second year as a table leader. She has been doing workshops across the country for three years, has her National Board Certification for over 10 years, and was a Presidential Finalist for the State of Florida in 2005.

STUDIO ART

For the past thirty eight years, Fran Gertz has had the privilege of instructing Visual Arts Students, and has worked with Advanced Placement students for the past twenty years. Fran is a professional artist, College Board Endorsed Consultant, and a Studio Portfolio Reader. Educational systems and regions that she has worked in range from Florida where she grew up and was educated, to Spain, Italy, Virginia, and finally to North Carolina. Fran started the AP® Studio Art Program in all but one of these areas. She is currently National Board Certified and is instructing AP® Studio Art as well as serving as Adjunct Professor at University North Carolina Pembroke and Sandhills Community College.

U.S. HISTORY

Jim Glinski has 30 years experience as a teacher and department chairperson at Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, MA. He has served as a Reader and Table Leader at the AP US History Exam Reading; been a consultant for workshops in AP US History and AP European History; and received the College Board's New England region's Advanced Placement Recognition Award for Excellence in Teaching.

WORLD HISTORY

Colin Ramsay is a Social Studies teacher at Lemon Bay High School in Englewood, Florida. He teachers AP World History and AP U.S. Government and Politics. He has been a reader of the World History exam since 2002, and a College Board consultant since 2003.