Tens of thousands of teachers from across the entire nation apply to serve as AP Readers in the grading of the College Board Corporation’s Advanced Placement (AP) Exams. Only 1,100 will be selected and Mount Notre Dame can boast that three of their own have been chosen. Mrs. Sue Magnus (center) of Loveland, Mrs. Catherine Schildknecht (right) of Sycamore Township and Ms. Christine Mencer (left) of Symmes Township, have all been selected to participate in the annual reading and scoring of the College Board’s Advanced Placement Examinations in June.
MND’s Academic Dean Mrs. Karen Day of White Oak said, “Having multiple teachers selected to serve as AP Readers, and one as a table leader, certainly validates the high caliber of the Mount Notre Dame academic program. Our teachers bring the content to life in the classroom and then use their personal time for continuous improvement activities - activities that directly benefit the quality of education for our young women. They are a living example of the commitment to ‘lifelong learning,’ something which MND develops in all of our students.”
Mrs. Sue Magnus, of the Mount Notre Dame social studies department, has been teaching AP courses for 19 years. This is her fifth year being chosen to participate in the program. Previously, Mrs. Magnus served as an AP® Reader for three years, but for the past two years, she was elected to serve as table leader for the exam – a distinction typically reserved for university professors and is a testament to Mrs. Magnus as an educator.
Mrs. Catherine Schildknecht, a social studies teacher for 32 years, has taught at MND for the last six years. This is Schildknecht’s second year as an AP® Reader; she will be grading the AP European History exam in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Ms. Christine Mencer, a Spanish teacher for 18 years, currently teaches AP Spanish Language at MND, where she has taught for the last 12 years. This is Mencer’s second year being selected as an AP® Reader; she will be grading the AP Spanish Language Exam in Cincinnati.
“Being selected is an honor,” Mencer said of this achievement, “It is recognition of my teaching experiences, educational background as well as my efforts to further my knowledge through continuing education opportunities.”
All three Mount Notre Dame teachers who have received this honor rave about the invaluable knowledge that comes from this experience. The College Board praises the experience as an intensive collegial exchange and a valuable opportunity for professional development. With a keen analysis of the exam’s rubric and a heightened insight to the text itself, the teachers return with a more intimate knowledge of the exam and are able to share that with their Advanced Placement students.
“The ability to talk with hundreds of colleagues who are teaching the same material provides a teacher with a tutorial in teaching methods and content that is unavailable anywhere else,” said Schildknecht.
This recognition is just a small glimpse of the academic preparedness that is given to the students of Mount Notre Dame. The history department, in particular, offers AP courses in Human Geography, World History, Government, European History, Psychology, and United States History. With this, it is possible for a graduating senior from MND to have almost completed a minor in history before she even steps foot on a college campus. Combine these courses with those offered in other disciplines and an MND graduate could graduate from high school as a sophomore in college!
MND offers Advanced Placement courses beginning in the freshmen year; for the 2009-2010 academic year, there will be 17 AP courses offered, taught by 14 different faculty members, across various academic disciplines.