Faculty Highlights

"My years at Canterbury under the tutelage of its wonderful faculty helped shape my into who I am today. The foundation they helped build put me a step above the rest when I started college. You always hear from alums about how the writing skills learned in Ms. Brown’s English courses were the single most helpful tool that helped them achieve success in college. They were right. Receiving that first “C” (the first of a slew to come) in Ms. Brown’s freshman English class was the exact sort of wake-up call I needed.

While we certainly had our share of whining and griping about the “unfairness” of going from “A” and high “B” students to celebrating the rare “B-," I must admit that always being held to that higher standard is what allowed my peers and me to advance our writing and critical reading skills in leaps and bounds. Simply put, the work Ms. Brown does in shaping us into college-ready students is nothing short of incredible.

But let’s not forget the rest of the amazing faculty that work so hard to ensure the future success of all who come through Canterbury. I think if there were more Mr. Johnson’s, Mr. Murphy’s, and Mr. Wyness’s in the world, that we would all be better off. Each in turn taught me the necessary skills and knowledge needed to succeed in today’s world, ranging from Ethics and the art of giving a decent speech to Calculus, Chemistry, and the ever-amusing events that are Envirothon and Mu Alpha Theta. While I can’t say I actively utilize what I learned from them every day, you would be surprised how much being knowledgeable about a variety of subjects other than who won American Idol (do people still watch that?) can help you in your interactions with others.

The beauty of Canterbury is that it is small enough to allow you to do anything and learn anything you want (within reason, of course), yet big enough to have the resources to make it possible. I remember how it was the norm to be on a variety of athletic teams, while also doing the school play or participating in one of the many clubs. People in college won’t believe you when you say you did all of those things in high school, but believe me, you are far better off for having done them.

The point of a Canterbury education is to become the next Renaissance men and women of tomorrow. I know I have named barely a fraction of the incredible educators that Canterbury has to offer, but I can tell you that they are all there to see you become the best you can be. Cherish your time at Canterbury, but also take advantage of the opportunity it represents and realize that it is the first step in a long and interesting journey to come.

Most of all, appreciate the incredible teachers that you have. Not everyone has the opportunity to be raised in the Canterbury environment. It certainly had its ups and downs when I was there, but one thing that never changed was that the faculty cared about you and wanted you to succeed. I cannot say this enough (and I wish I had been more cognizant of it when I was in school), but the faculty at Canterbury are all truly amazing people, representing incredible resources from which the foundation of you are to become in this world is built. Just thought I would share some thoughts on what the Canterbury faculty mean to me."

Sincerely,

Clark Gairing, Raymond James & Associates

Canterbury, Class of 2010

Centre College, Class of 2014

Lower School Librarian and Grade 4 Teachers Present Canterbury's Grade 4 Florida History Project at the 2016 Timucuan Science and History Symposium

Lower School Librarian Linda Garrison, Grade 4 teacher Mike McGourin and Grade 3 teacher Susie Ossenmacher were invited to travel to the 2016 Timucuan Science and History Symposium in Jacksonville to explain the details of the annual Grade 4 Florida history unit that culminates in a live production of an indian battle.

The Grade 4 Florida History Project connects today’s students to yesterday’s Florida. This experiential unit teaches Florida’s rich ecology and history through a discovery learning process that includes research, role-play and real world connections.

• Instructional design emphasizes the Makerspace culture, in which students and faculty share resources and knowledge to create inquiry-driven social activities.
• Students use pictures, paintings and engravings to learn about the geography, flora and fauna of prehistoric Florida, including possible entry points of the earliest peoples.
• Students compare/contrast the culture, traditions, and hierarchy of local tribes.
• Understanding Florida’s landscape before European influence and expansion is critical to the next phase of the project, which is identifying and understanding the impact of key historical figures who shaped modern Florida.
• Building on the natural desire to create in response to learning, the students enact Florida’s history from the tribal settlements to the Seminole Wars, with each student playing the part of their historical figure or tribe on a large scale floor map.
• The project culminates in a visit to St. Augustine and the Sanford History Museum.
• Deliverables include expository writing with APA citations, speeches, costuming, and film.

Watch the Grade 4 re-enactment.

In 2015, Molly Smith received the Paul Harris Fellowship from the Saint Pete Sunrise Rotary Club. This Rotarian award of distinction is given in recognition of sustained 'service above self' to the youth of our community. In 2014 the Rotary Club recognized the service of Canterbury’s Interact Club, which Smith sponsors. In 2015 they recognized the sponsors’ contributions. Most members of the Saint Pete Sunrise Rotary Club are also Paul Harris Fellows--a sign of the value they place in this distinction. It is, however, the giving of yourselves to help others--particularly youth--that they recognize and honor with this award. When presented with the award, Smith was told, “Your actions have directly contributed to making our community, 'a better place to be'.”

Smith also teaches one or more AP courses at Canterbury each year, and has been an AP U.S. History exam reader for the past six years.

How does this benefit your high school student?
This level of involvement in and understanding of the grading of Advanced Placement exams means that these teachers are able to refine their pedagogical skills for the AP classes they teach to help our students avoid the frequent student errors and misconceptions in the national AP exams they grade. Further, the professional development involved in the evenings during AP readings--speakers from the College Board, and in the discipline--help our faculty to better teach students the course material.

Mrs. Garrison, the Lower School Librarian, is currently finishing her PhD from UCF. Through her studies, she and another student in her Technology for Social Justice course wrote and submitted a paper that was selected as a Top 5 student paper in the US and internationally to be judged. Mrs. Garrison attended the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Global Humanitarian Technology Conference in Seattle, WA, in October 2015--and she and her co-writer came in 3rd Place. The paper was titled: Life Stream Mobile Applications: Navigating Transgender Health Care in Orlando, FL.

The assignment was to create a piece of technology that would address one very specific area of need for a marginalized population.

“I was interested in it because a couple years ago I read a newspaper article in which a 9-year-old transgender girl was reduced to tears because at her school the teachers were confused as to which bathroom she could use. She went home and said to her parents, ‘even the teachers don’t know who I am.’ It was devastating to her. I’ve been watching the newspaper, and it’s a huge problem for a small minority--mostly because people are not familiar with it,” Mrs. Garrison says.

She continued, “Writing this paper and attending this conference was a game-changer in my life. It made me realize that technology is all about humanity. The Hour of Code beginning programming lessons we’re doing with Canterbury students right now extends this idea. One of the things I teach the kids is that behind every line of code is a human being.”

Carlos Gomez teaches regular, advanced, and AP Spanish courses at Canterbury. In addition, he actively reads AP Spanish exams.

• AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam Reader and Table Leader (2005 - present)
  
• AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam Consultant (2012 - present)

How does this benefit your high school student?
This level of involvement in and understanding of the grading of Advanced Placement exams means that these teachers are able to refine their pedagogical skills for the AP classes they teach to help our students avoid the frequent student errors and misconceptions in the national AP exams they grade. Further, the professional development involved in the evenings during AP readings--speakers from the College Board, and in the discipline--help our faculty to better teach students the course material.

As an AP Consultant, Mr. Gomez endured a series of rigorous evaluations and submitted data and examples of his classroom teaching. Now he teaches teachers from all across the south and southwestern United States how to teach the AP classes for which he is a consultant, conducting three to four week-long summer institutes for them.