Students at Newton High School will have more Advanced Placement (AP) classes to choose from next school year. NHS administrators recently learned that the school was selected as a recipient of a 2009 AP Teacher Training Grant in the amount of $1,500 from the Georgia Department of Education. The funds are earmarked for AP training for teachers.

Six NHS teachers will participate in the training, including: Graham Oakley (chemistry); Pam Alexander (English literature/composition); Barrett Alexander (music theory); Darrell Daniel (calculus A/B); Kandi Manning (studio art/2-D); and Rathan Kersey (world history).

The grant money will be used to defray the cost of AP summer institute registration, travel and lodging expenses for the teachers. In return for the grant award, NHS will increase the number of AP courses in the high school.

“The AP grant is extremely significant for several reasons,” said Dr. Roderick Sams, principal of NHS. “Grant awards allow for financial support to be given at the time when resources are limited. Additional AP teacher training is needed as we increase the number of rigorous courses at NHS. Lastly, given the competitive nature of this award, the grant award demonstrates the level of commitment we have to increasing the number of AP courses we offer. We are very pleased.”

According to Sams, the school will offer four new AP courses as a result of the grant – chemistry, studio art, world history and music theory.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for teachers to receive training needed to expand our offerings in Advanced Placement courses,” said Dr. Kathy Reese, director of high school curriculum for Newton County schools. “Research validates that students participating in Advanced Placement increase their chances of doing well in college courses by 20 percent. These courses are taught with the same rigor and expectations as college courses and prepare our students for what they will face at the next level.”