About the AP Teacher Community

The AP Teacher Community is your place to connect with fellow educators to share resources, teaching tips, and best practices, and to discuss all things AP. It was developed in response to suggestions and requests made by AP teachers who were seeking to stay connected online to their colleagues and peers. The community is intended to be a site by teachers, for teachers. That means that participation by community members is essential to make it a productive and valuable resource.

The community is a moderated site. In keeping with its by-teachers-and-for-teachers spirit, community moderators are experienced fellow teachers who are experts in the AP course of the subject-specific community they moderate.

Community Features

The best way to get acquainted with your community is to get inside and get involved. Here are some highlights of what you'll find.

Discussion Boards

AP Teacher Community Discussion Boards are the place to go for lively, topical discussion with fellow educators. The discussion boards are organized and searchable, so you can quickly find areas of relevance for you and your classroom. If you want to stay connected to a discussion, you can subscribe to updates and be notified whenever someone posts to that specific discussion. This will help ensure that you only get email updates on the specific discussions that you are most interested in following.

Resource Library

Along with more organized discussion boards, the resource library is the most requested feature of the new AP Teacher Community website. If you are looking for strategies on teaching a particular concept, classroom-ready resources, or recommendations for helpful websites, the resource library is a great place to go. You can post resources that you've created to share them with the community. So if you've got something to share with your peers, rather than resorting to email, simply add your contribution to the resource library and it will be immediately available to the whole community!

Curriculum Framework

The community includes an online, browse-able version of your subject's Curriculum Framework. You can click through the framework section by section. Get more familiar with what's expected of your students. Find resources that are related to specific sections of the framework. Comment on the framework or read comments left by colleagues.

My Library

The My Library feature allows you to organize the resources you find and share within the community. When you share a resource, it will automatically be added to your library. If you find other resources that you want to be able to refer back to, you can bookmark them so you won't have to search for them when you return to the site.

Site Moderation

Each course-specific community is moderated by an experienced and respected AP teacher in that course, whose role is to ensure that the community remains professional and collegial. The moderators are motivated by love of the subjects they teach and by the desire to help maintain the great community of AP Teachers.

The moderators can review shared resources for appropriateness, and make sure that the resources have been assigned the correct category so that other members can easily find them. They may also step in if a discussion gets off-topic, split a complex discussion thread into several discrete topics, start new topics; or, in the case that inappropriate or offensive content makes its way into the community, delete the offending content.

Art History Community Moderator

Mabi Ponce de Leon

Bexley High School
326 South Cassignham Road
Bexley, Ohio

Mabi Ponce de León teaches AP Art History and AP Studio Art at Bexley High School in Columbus, Ohio, and has taught studio art at the college level. She also serves as an AP Art History Reader. A working visual artist, she has received an MFA from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, a BFA from Florida International University in Miami, and K-12 Art certification from Capital University in Columbus.

Biology Community Moderator

Bob Kuhn

Centennial High School
9310 Scott Road
Roswell, Georgia
apcommunity@collegeboard.org

Bob Kuhn is a science teacher at Centennial High School in Roswell, Georgia. He has taught AP and honors biology for 14 years. Outside of teaching biology in the classroom, Bob is involved with local, state, and national AP biology professional development.

Calculus Community Moderator

Lin McMullin

61 Cypress Street
Ballston Lake, New York
linmcmullin2@aol.com

Lin McMullin spent most of his 34 years in the classroom in upstate New York, where he taught all levels of high school mathematics including Advanced Placement Calculus AB and BC. He served for 17 years as a reader or table leader for the AP calculus exams. He led numerous workshops and AP summer institutes for teachers in the United States and abroad.

He is the author or co-author of several books. His book for AP teachers, Teaching AP Calculus, has been well received and is now in its second edition. He worked on several projects including serving on the original calculus authoring team for Agile Mind's online Calculus and Algebra 1 programs. He is the editor/developer of the AP Tool Kit for the second edition of Calculus by Jon Rogawski. He is the assistant author of the popular D&S Marketing System's AB and BC calculus review books.

As director of Mathematics Programs for the National Math and Science Initiative, he coordinated and assisted NMSI programs and teachers nationally. He now works with the Arkansas Advanced Initiative for Math and Science working with teachers and students to increase participation in AP mathematics courses and improve the AP scores. Lin is a graduate of Ursinus College and Clarkson University. His web site is linmcmullin.net and he blogs at teachingcalculus.wordpress.com.

Chemistry Community Moderator

Brian Hedney

Trinity College School - retired
Port Hope, Ontario Canada
bhedney@bell.net

Brian Hedney has served as the moderator of the AP Chemistry Community from the day it started, about fifteen years ago. His goal for this forum a useful a resource for busy teachers. He encourages participants to be active members, participating in discussions and sharing resources (handouts, labs, websites, etc.).

Chinese Language and Culture Community Moderators

Scott McGinnis

Defense Language Institute - Washington Office
200 Stovall Street
Alexandria, Virginia
scott.g.mcginnis4.civ@mail.mil

Dr. Scott McGinnis is the Academic Advisor for the Washington Office of the Defense Language Institute. He earned his Ph.D. from Ohio State University in 1990. Between 1999 and 2003, he served as Executive Director of the National Council of Organizations of Less Commonly Taught Languages. In over 27 years in the language teaching profession, he has held positions at institutions including the University of Pennsylvania and Middlebury College, and has a decade of experience as supervisor of the Chinese language programs at the University of Oregon and University of Maryland. He has authored or edited five books and over 50 book chapters, journal articles and reviews on language pedagogy and linguistics.

Dr. McGinnis has twice served as President of the Chinese Language Teachers Association and has regularly been an invited participant for major projects on standards, articulation, teacher training and materials development sponsored or funded by the Modern Language Association, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the United States Department of Education. He is also a former chair of the College Board's Chinese Language Test Development Committee.

Dali Tan

Northern Virginia Community College
3001 North Beauregard Street
Alexandria, Virginia
dalit6250@gmail.com

Dali Tan teaches Chinese at both K–12 and post-secondary institutions. She also directs summer language-immersion programs and exchange programs with sister schools in China. She received her PhD in comparative literature from the University of Maryland in 1997.

Dr. Tan served on both the SAT Subject Test's Chinese committee and the AP Chinese committee. She has conducted numerous AP Chinese workshops and AP summer institutes for College Board in the U.S. and in People's Republic of China. She led the initiative to establish the National Capital Region Chapter of the Chinese Language Teachers Association (CLTA-NCR) and served as its first president. In 2003, Dr. Tan received the U.S. Department of Education's Teacher Recognition Award.

Comparative Government and Politics Community Moderator

Andrew Conneen

Adlai E. Stevenson High School
1 Stevenson Drive
Lincolnshire, Illinois
aconneen@d125.org

Andrew Conneen teaches AP Government and Politics (both Comparative and American) at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Ill. He helped produce www.citizenu.org and has partnered with C-SPAN, POLITICO and CBS in an effort to expand the outreach of civics education, one mouse-click at a time.

Computer Science Community Moderator

Joe Kmoch

Washington High School
2525 North Sherman Boulevard
joe@jkmoch.org

Joe Kmoch taught high school math, computer science and IT courses from 1970 to 2004. He was involved in developing the AP Computer Science test as well as internet-training materials for Milwaukee Public Schools. He continues to be active in computer education through his work with ISTE, SIGCT, ACM and CSTA — as well as the Wisconsin Math Council. He recently served as an instructional technology coach for several Milwaukee schools and continues to advise schools on computer science and IT curricula and course implementation.

Joe recently spoke at state and national STEM conferences, was a participant in the NSF K-12 Computational Thinking workshops, and has spoken about creating games in CS and on computational thinking at various state conferences.

Also, he just completed his 21st MS150 bike ride.

Coordinator Community Moderator

Marcia (Marcie) Kneisley

Mesa Public Schools
63 East Main Street
Mesa,  Arizona
englishhorn@msn.com

Marcie Kneisley the Mesa (AZ) District Specialist for Advanced Placement. She has been an AP coordinator since 1987, most recently at Mountain View High Schol in Mesa, where she also served as a guidance counselor. Marcie has regularly attended APAC, beginning with the very first one, and was a member of the original group of AP Coordinator Consultants who crafted the workshop used for training Coordinators today. She has presented AP Coordinator workshops at APAC and across the country, assisted with various AP projects, and served on the APAC conference steering committee.

English Community Moderator

Timothy Averill

Waring School
35 Standley Street
Beverley, Massachusetts
timaverill@comcast.net

Tim Averill has been a College Board consultant for 35 years. He served as a reader of the AP English Literature Examination and the National Teacher Examination from 1981 until 1998. He currently serves the College Board as an AP National Leader (evaluating and training AP consultants) and as Moderator of the AP English Community, offering 7,800 AP English teachers the chance to share ideas, lesson plans, support, and concerns. Tim's article, "Teaching Hamlet," was featured in the College Board's special topics publication used at all national AP English training in 2008. Tim has been recognized with the AP Teacher Recognition Award from the New England Regional office of the College Board, the Harvard Prize Book for Excellence in Teaching, and the MCTE's Andre Favat and Sister Mary Anderson Awards for service to the teaching profession. In Tim's other life, he is a member of the National Forensic League's Hall of Fame and was named national debate coach of the year in 2005. After teaching for 35 years at Manchester Essex Regional High School, Tim now teaches at Waring School in Beverly, MA, and enjoys his four grandchildren.

Environmental Science Community Moderator

Brian Kaestner

Saint Mary's Hall
9401 Starcrest Drive
San Antonio, Texas
briank514@earthlink.net

Brian Kaestner teaches AP Environmental Science and AP Human Geography at Saint Mary's Hall in San Antonio, Texas, where he has been on the faculty for 31 years. In 1993, Brian received the Special Recognition Award from the College Board and was a TEA state nominee for the Presidential Awards for Excellence. In 2000, he received the Siemens Award for Advanced Placement Teaching. With a B.S. in Biology and an M.S. in Environmental Management, Brian also serves with the College Board as an Advanced Placement consultant and as a Reader and Table Leader at the APES reading.

European History Community Moderator

Larry Treadwell

Fort Lauderdale High School
1600 Flying L Drive
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
treadwl@comcast.net

Larry has taught in the Broward County Public School system for 42 years and was twice selected as History Teacher of the Year. He's worked for the College Board as a consultant for both AP European History and AP World History and has conducted workshops on three continents. He has also served as an AP Reader, AP Table Leader and Question Leader at various readings. In his free time, Larry hikes, enjoys photography, and trains and shows Australian Shepherds.

French Community Moderator

Eliane Kurbegov

Discovery Canyon Campus High School
1810 North Gate Boulevard
Colorado Springs, Colorado
ekurbegov@aol.com

Eliane, a native of Strasbourg, France, taught all levels of French (including AP) in the Miami-Dade Public schools for almost 30 years before relocating to Colorado. She now teaches at Discovery Canyon Campus, a K-12 IB school where she coordinates and articulates the world language programs across the campus, teaches French, and mentors teachers. An experienced AP French workshop leader, she is a regular contributor to College Board publications.

German Community Moderator

Katrina Griffin

North County High School
10 First Avenue East
Glen Burnie, Maryland
kcgriffin@aacps.org

Katrina Griffin is the World and Classical Languages Department Chair at North County High School in Maryland.

Human Geography Community Moderator

Allison Hunt

duPont Manual High School
120 W. Lee Street
Louisville, Kentucky
allisonmartinhunt@gmail.com

Allison Hunt earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown College and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from the University of Louisville. Her teaching experience includes AP Human Geography; AP Macroeconomics; AP World History; AP Government and Politics, United States Comparative; and AP United States History. Since 2004, she has served as a Reader or Table Leader for the AP Human Geography reading. She currently teaches at duPont Manual High School in Louisville, KY, where she also sponsors the History Club, coaches the EuroChallenge team, serves as a Student Government Advisor, sponsors the Class of 2015, and is the Parent Teacher Student Association Teacher Representative. Additionally, Allison is on the Kentucky Geographic Alliance Steering Committee and is a board member for the Kentucky Association of School Councils.

Italian Language and Culture Community Moderator

Bruna Petrarca Boyle

Narragansett High School
245 South Pier Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
tennisadict@cox.net

Bruna Petrarca Boyle was born in Fornelli, Italy, in the region of Molise, where she completed her elementary school education. She holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from the University of Rhode Island. She taught Italian and Spanish at Narragansett High School in Rhode Island for 31 years and was the chairperson of the Foreign Language Department. Bruna is now an adjunct in the Italian department at the University of Rhode Island and an adjunct in the Spanish department at the University of Johnson & Wales in Providence, Rhode Island.

Japanese Language and Culture Community Moderator

Tomokazu Tetsu Morikawa

George Washington High School
600 32nd Avenue
San Francisco, California
morikawasensei@gmail.com

Tomokazu Tetsu Morikawa has taught Japanese and other subjects in high schools, universities and corporations in New York and San Francisco since 1990. He is interested in international and cross-cultural education in secondary institutions. He has also served as a school-site council president and department head, and has coordinated the International Exchange program and Academy programs to promote integrated social studies and world language curriculum. He credits his ability to help students achieve their academic and career goals with his business experience.

Latin Community Moderator

Keely Lake

Wayland Academy and Univ. of Minnesota
101 North University Avenue
Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
klake@wayland.org

Keely has taught Latin, Greek and courses in translation for more than 15 years at the college and secondary levels. She has been involved with the AP program since 2005 as a reader, table leader and contributor to College Board publications. She has presented at numerous state, regional and national conferences on pedagogy and classical texts. She serves as president-elect of the Wisconsin Association for Language Teachers, state vice president for CAMWS, vice chair for the National Committee for Latin and Greek and secretary for the Vergilian Society.

Keely teaches at Wayland Academy in Beaver Dam, Wis., where she also coaches varsity track and J.V. volleyball, does dorm duty and is the sponsor of a Junior Classical League chapter. In addition to AP Latin, she also teaches concurrent enrollment courses.

Macroeconomics / Microeconomics Communities Moderator

David Anderson

Centre College
600 West Walnut Street
Danville, Kentucky
david@centre.edu

David A. Anderson is the Paul G. Blazer Professor of Economics at Centre College. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Michigan and his Master of Arts and Ph.D. in Economics from Duke University. He has served as Chief Reader for AP Economics and is currently Chief Reader for AP Microeconomics. David has authored many scholarly articles and 12 books, including Favorite Ways to Learn Economics, Economic Explorations, and Economics by Example. His research covers economic education, environmental economics, and law and economics. He lives in Danville, Kentucky, with his wife and two children.

Music Theory Community Moderator

Brandon Pedigo

Plano East Senior High School
3000 Los Rios Blvd.
Plano, Texas
brandon.pedigo@pisd.edu

Brandon has taught AP Music Theory at Plano East Senior High School in Plano, TX since 2000 and serves as an AP Music Theory Question Leader at the annual AP Reading.

Physics Community Moderator

 

Paul Lulai

Saint Anthony Village High School
3303 33rd Avenue NE
Saint Anthony, Minnesota
plulai@stanthony.k12.mn.us

Paul Lulai has taught a variety of physics, physical science, chemistry, and engineering classes at the 9-12 grade level since 1995. He has taught AP Physics courses for 15 years and has been a Reader for 6 years. He has previously served as a member, then co-chair of the AP Physics 2 Development Committee. Paul also works with GO4ST8 Physics, the University of Minnesota Physics By Inquiry dual enrollment course, and in the past served as the Physics Representative for the Minnesota Science Teachers Association.

Psychology Community Moderator

Steve Jones

City of Medicine Academy
200 Wisteria Avenue
Durham, North Carolina
steven.jones@dpsnc.net

Steve Jones is s a teacher at the City of Medicine Academy in Durham, North Carolina.

Research Community Moderator

Emily Lott

Chestatee High School
3005 Sardis Road
Gainesville, Georgia
emily.lott@hallco.org

Emily is a teacher at Chestatee High School. She also serves as a table leader during the AP Research reading and a consultant working with AP Research teachers during summer institutes.

 

Seminar Community Moderator

Meredith Haskins

Hong Kong International School
1 Red Hill Road
Tai Tam, Hong Kong
mhaskins@hkis.edu.hk

Spanish Language and Culture / Spanish Literature and Culture Communities Moderator

Rita Goldberg

St. Lawrence University
Canton, New York
ritagoldberg@stlawu.edu

Rita Goldberg is an emerita faculty member at St. Lawrence University where she taught all levels of Spanish language and literature. At St. Lawrence she was department chair for several terms and often directed the St. Lawrence study program in Spain. Her first involvement with the AP Spanish program was as a reader of literature exams.

Rita has also been a member and chair of the AP Spanish Development Committee, and she's served as chief reader for Spanish. Currently, she's an item writer for the AP Spanish language and literature exams and moderator for the AP Spanish electronic discussion group, the predecessor of this AP Spanish Literature Community. She also serves as a director for the NYSAFLT.

Statistics Community Moderator

Chris Olsen

Grinnell College
2248 Noyce Hall
1116 8th Avenue
Grinnell, Iowa
COlsen@mchsi.com

Chris Olsen graduated from Iowa State University, majoring in mathematics and philosophy. In his graduate work at the University of Iowa, he concentrated on statistics, computer programming, psychometrics, and test development. He is co-author of the AP Statistics book, "Introduction to Statistics & Data Analysis," and author of "Teaching Elementary Statistics with JMP." In spite of his many successes in the field of statistics, he does not consider his attempt at retirement to be one of them.

Studio Art Community Moderator

Dorsey Chappell Sammataro

Holy Innocents' Episcopal School
805 Mount Vernon Highway, NW
Atlanta, Georgia
dorseysammataro@gmail.com

Dorsey Sammataro teaches at Holy Innocents' Episcopal School in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to serving as Moderator for the AP Studio Art Teacher Community, Dorsey is the AP Studio Art College Board Advisor and an AP Studio Art Reader.

United States History Moderator

Kurt Leichtle

University of Wisconsin - River Falls
410 South 3rd Street
River Falls, Wisconsin
consultinghistorian.kel@gmail.com

United States Government and Politics Moderator

Janis Schimmel

Cherokee Trail High & Arapahoe Community College
Littleton, Colorado
janis.schimmel@gmail.com

Janis teaches AP classes at Cherokee Trail High School as well as political science classes at Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colorado. A National Board Certified Teacher, she's been an AP Exam Reader and AP Table Leader at the AP Government and Politics reading since 2000, and has written and reviewed assessments for the College Board and the American Council of Education. She holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

World History Community Moderators

Monty Armstrong

Cerritos High School
12500 East 183rd Street
Cerritos, California
montarm@mac.com

Monty has been teaching for 37 years, most of that AP of one kind or another. He has taught AP World History since 2001, been a table leader since 2002, and been moderator of the listserv since 2004. He is the lead author of the Princeton Review Guide for World History as well as contributor to a number of publications.

John Maunu

Grosse Ile High School
7800 Grays Drive
Grosse Ile, Michigan
maunu48@hotmail.com

John is an AP World History consultant and 40 year public school educator at Grosse Ile High, Michigan. He is currently AP Histories classroom mentor at Grosse Ile High School and editor for World History Connected online. John is a 1989 NFIE National Christa McAuliffe Fellow, 1991 Ameritech Technology Educator Award Winner (Michigan), and 2003 MEA Global and Diversity Educator of the Year (Michigan). He is a veteran AP World History Reader and Table Leader and has taught AP/College Board workshops and Summer Institutes nationally since 2006.