Approximately 37 freshmen participated in Quaketown Community School District’s first AP Boot Camp.
The three-day session, held before the start of classes on Aug. 30, was for students interested in taking AP Human Geography Though only freshmen, several are taking additional AP courses in 2021-22.
The challenging college-level course explained how humans have understood, used, and changed the surface of the earth. Students used the tools and thinking processes of geographers to examine patterns of human population, migration and land use.
“The main thing we’re trying to do is prepare students for the challenge that awaits them on Aug. 30,” said Sean Burke, who teaches the Advanced Placement course. “We’re explaining to them what the course is about and how to be successful.” He said it’s not simply linear history. Instead, it’s thematic, “which is very different from what they’re used to,” he said.
Students attending the Boot Camp worked on strengthening their academic foundations and refining their advanced learning skills. Burke said the focus was on team building, time management, AP level reading and note taking skills. “The idea is to prepare them for taking an AP course for the first time in their high school career,” he said.
Burke also had former students - Riley Mann, Phillip Rotzell and Julia Witte - attend to discuss their experiences in the class a year ago.
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