Charlotte Teachers Institute (CTI) welcomed its new cohort of 104 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) teachers into its innovative, interdisciplinary seminars for 2015. “This year’s CTI Fellows represent the wide range of teachers in CMS, from new to veteran, kindergarten to 12th grade, and physics to interior design,” said CTI Director Scott Gartlan. “We continue to create significant growth opportunities for teacher leaders looking to deepen their knowledge base and impact the lives of their students.”
CTI’s eight concurrent seminars began with an orientation at Discovery Place in April and will run through November. CTI seminars are led by faculty experts in the arts and sciences, including four from Davidson College and four from UNC Charlotte. Seminars meet on those campuses and also at the Discovery Place Education Studio.
In each seminar, 13 CMS teachers (CTI Fellows) and a faculty leader work closely together in exploring a topic, long term and in depth, with each teacher creating new curriculum designed for his or her own students as a culminating project. CTI Fellows receive full access to both Davidson College and UNC Charlotte resources, as well as family memberships to Discovery Place. Upon completion each Fellow is awarded a $1,500 stipend and continuing education credits.
The 2015 CTI seminars and seminar leaders include:
- Exercise and the Brain – Barbara Lom, Biology, Davidson College
- What Makes a Nation? – Shelley Rigger, Political Science, Davidson College
- The Origins of Human Language – Ron Lunsford, English, UNC Charlotte
- Fundamentals of Mathematics: Problem Solving and Process Standards – Harold Reiter, Mathematics and Statistics, UNC Charlotte
- Peace Education: Psychological Factors that Endorse War – Rick Gay, Educational Studies, Davidson College
- Integrating Concepts in Life Sciences – Malcolm Campbell and Chris Paradise, Biology, Davidson College
- Africa: Moving Beyond Popular Culture – Beth Whitaker, Political Science, UNC Charlotte
- Supernatural Figures in Theatre, Film and the Brain – Mark Pizzato, Theatre, UNC Charlotte
About Charlotte Teachers Institute
Through seminars led by UNC Charlotte and Davidson College faculty, CMS teachers learn new content, work collaboratively with other teachers, and develop new curricula for their students. Teachers serve as leaders in the institute and choose seminar topics they deem most important and engaging for current CMS teachers and their students. To date, more than 300 CMS teachers have participated in 44 CTI seminars, reaching more than 62,600 students.
In addition to its eight intensive annual seminars, CTI presents special events open to all teachers including “Evening for Educators” and “Teachers as Scholars” where CTI Fellows share the new curriculum they have developed in their seminars. CTI also offers community programs open to the public such as the popular “Exploding Canons” cultural collaboration series. In 2013 CTI and its partners were recognized by the Council of Great City Schools with the Shirley S. Schwartz Urban Education Impact Award.
CTI programs are made possible by a joint commitment of resources from CMS, Davidson College and UNC Charlotte and through the generosity of private funding institutions such as the Wells Fargo Foundation, The Belk Foundation, The Duke Energy Foundation, Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation, the Charlotte Hornets Foundation and Lowe’s Home Improvement. The institute is housed at UNC Charlotte within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
The full list of 2015 CTI Fellows by seminar includes:
Exercise and the Brain
- Cassandra Black, First Grade, Ashley Park PreK-8
- Jeanne Cooper, Science, Mallard Creek HS
- Tracie Cooper, Fourth Grade, Hidden Valley ES
- DeNise Gerst, Science, Barringer Academic Center
- David Hartzell, Literacy, Shamrock Gardens ES
- Deb Jung, Media Skills, Winding Springs Elementary
- Amethyst Klein, Science, Winterfield ES
- Aaron Kollar, Math, Piedmont Open IB MS
- Benji Lewis, Fifth Grade, Grand Oak ES
- Molly McCarthy, Language Arts, Piedmont Open IB MS
- Lauren McNeil, Special Education, Lebanon Road ES
- Ted Miracle, Fifth Grade, Grand Oak ES
- Leslie Paytes, Math, Crestdale MS
What Makes a Nation?
- Jennifer Anderson, Language Arts, James Martin MS
- Brad Baker, History, W.A. Hough HS
- Annie Calloway, Literacy, Olde Providence ES
- Calen Clifton, Social Studies, Martin Luther King, Jr. MS
- Alexandra Edwards, Social Studies, Bailey MS
- Michele Lemere, English, Garinger HS
- Lisa Modrow, Social Studies, Bailey MS
- Rob Pinkston, Interior Design, W.A. Hough HS
- Bridget Robinson, History, W.A. Hough HS
- Heather Simpson, Grades 1-3, Chantilly Montessori
- Mark Surratt, Fourth Grade, Providence Spring ES
- Alan Vitale, History, East Mecklenburg HS
- Katie Willett, English, Independence HS
The Origins of Human Language
- KaraAnne Boneillo, Fourth Grade, Reedy Creek ES
- Melinda Clunn, Language Arts, McClintock MS
- Adriana Hart, Kindergarten, Collinswood Language Academy
- Allen Jacobi, Language Arts, Northwest School of the Arts
- Matt Kelly, Spanish, Independence HS
- Melanie Kirschner, First Grade, Albemarle Road ES
- Tabitha Miller, Kindergarten, Collinswood Language Academy
- Sedana Noble, First Grade, Reedy Creek ES
- Nicole Nesbitt, Science, Albemarle Road MS
- Margaux Saenz, Fourth Grade, Oaklawn Language Academy
- Seon Sloley-Posey, Fourth Grade, Barringer Academic Center
- Rochelle Stanley, English, Garinger HS
- Elizabeth Young, English as a Second Language, Lebanon Road ES
Fundamentals of Mathematics: Problem Solving and Process Standards
- Lisa Ashworth, Fifth Grade, Barringer Academic Center
- Michael Butler, Fifth Grade, Elon Park ES
- Dennis Fox, Math/Science, Turning Point Academy
- Gilberto Franco, Math, Collinswood Language Academy
- Miesha Gadsden, Second Grade, J.H. Gunn ES
- Katelyn Gardepe, Fifth Grade, David Cox Road ES
- Connie George, Math, Quail Hollow MS
- Kimberly Lipscomb, Fourth Grade, Highland Creek ES
- Mindy Passe, Fifth Grade, Barringer Academic Center
- Joanne Rowe, Math, Northwest School of the Arts
- Stephen Salisbury, Kindergarten, Crown Point ES
- Meg Shuman, Fourth Grade, Barringer Academic Center
- Rima Solh, Math, Eastway MS
Peace Education: Psychological Factors that Endorse War
- Heather Almaraz, Fifth Grade, Lebanon Road ES
- Angela Bates, History, CATO Middle College HS
- Gloria Brinkman, Visual Art, North Mecklenburg HS
- Albertia Burgess, English, West Charlotte HS
- Melanie Greely, Grades 4-6, Chantilly Montessori
- Cheryl Hanley, Language Arts, McClintock MS
- Sarah Korenyik, Language Arts, Northwest School of the Arts
- Jennifer Ladanyi, Language Arts, Bailey MS
- Michael Richards, Social Studies, Bailey MS
- Megan Shellenberger, English, W.A. Hough HS
- Roshan Varghese, History, Butler HS
- Deborah Watson, Visual Art, Hopewell HS
- Christopher Williams, English, East Mecklenburg HS
Integrating Concepts in Life Sciences
- Chrystal Cavanagh, Science, Morehead STEM Academy
- Alicia Gaj, Science, McClintock MS
- Rochelle Gray, Biology, Mallard Creek HS
- Tavia Highsmith, Language Arts, Albemarle Road MS
- Julie McConnell, Biology, W.A. Hough HS
- Adora Reid, Science, James Martin MS
- Ericka Riddle, Biology, East Mecklenburg HS
- Julie Ruziska Tiddy, Science, Carmel MS
- Deb Semmler, Physics, East Mecklenburg HS
- Sandie Spraggins, Technology, Irwin Academic Center
- Kimberly Terrell, Fifth Grade, Steele Creek ES
- Jennifer Thompson, Science, James Martin MS
- Connie Wood, Biology, East Mecklenburg HS
Africa: Moving Beyond Popular Culture
- Lara Britain, Social Studies, James Martin MS
- Justine Busto, English as a Second Language, East Mecklenburg HS
- Nikki Dingle, Science, Coulwood MS
- Ian Joyce, Social Studies, Eastway MS
- Beth Lasure, Visual Art, Mallard Creek HS
- Ebone’ Lockett, English, West Mecklenburg HS
- Wendy Potter, Family/Consumer Science, David Butler HS
- Pam Shembo, Fifth Grade, Waddell Language Academy
- Jackie Smith, Science, W.A. Hough HS
- Merrie Smith, Third Grade, Shamrock Gardens ES
- Darrmetacia Winston, Family/Consumer Science, Olympic HS School
- Lana Withrow, Music, Barringer Academic Center
- Sade Wright, Third Grade, Barringer Academic Center
Supernatural Figures in Theatre, Film and the Brain
- Tabitha Albury, English, North Mecklenburg HS
- Christine Beau-Antoine, Language Arts, Lincoln Heights Academy
- Angela Boyce-Thornton, Kindergarten, Ashley Park Pre K-8
- Mawuena Dabla, French, Harding University HS
- Jennifer Dalesandro, Third Grade, Bain ES
- Nikki Guevara, First Grade, Bain ES
- Kristen Karazsia, English, West Mecklenburg HS
- Stephanie Misko, English, W.A. Hough HS
- Silvia Monsalve-Velazquez, First Grade, Oaklawn Language Academy
- Noelle Peerey, Visual Art, Hopewell HS
- Kelley Shelley, Visual Art, Butler HS
- Teresa Strohl, Visual Art, Barringer Academic Center
- Amy Thomas, First Grade, Reedy Creek ES
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