Henry Hammond, history teacher, is reintroducing AP European History to Athens Drive for the 2019-2020 school year. AP European History is a college level course designed to help students learn about the cultural, economic, political and social developments in European history that have shaped the world from 1450 to present day.

Students interested in earning college credit need to take the AP exam which is given in May. In order to earn credit hours students musts earn at least a 3. The accepted scores vary by college. In 2017, over 105,347 students took the AP exam. The mean score of the exam was a 2.81. 56% of students were able to earn a 3 or higher.

“I’m excited about it. I’ve never taught it before. The goal for the class is for everyone to pass the AP exam and that we can dig deep into European history and hopefully enjoy it,” said Hammond.

The AP Exam is a timed test that is 3 hours and 15 minutes long. It includes a multiple choice section, a short answer and free-response section.  The exam consists of students analyzing historical texts, and developing arguments that is supported by an analysis of historical evidence.

Students interested in the class need to have taken at least one World History class at minimum. AP European History will be considered as an elective and will not count towards the required social studies credits needed to graduate.

“I’m fascinated by how governments of the past came to influence our present day, and how we can better ourselves from the mistakes made. AP Euro appears to be a class filled with opportunities to learn of those incidents,” said Cooper Sykes, junior and prospective AP Euro student.

AP European History puts emphasis on writing, argumentation and close-reading. Students will explore primary sources and chart the growth of the globe’s most egalitarian societies.

“I most look forward to learning from Mr. Hammond, and writing a copious amount of essays. It should be a terrific time,” said Sykes.

AP European History was previously taught at Athens Drive by Ken Davenport, history teacher, but the class was discontinued after his retirement in 2016. To get students interested in the class Hammond created fliers and talked to students in his american history classes.

“It’s a more in-depth study of Europe and the way European society has changed over the years. They’ve experienced two world wars. If we look at their society as it is today I think you see a lot of advancement, and some things that we can learn from that society,” said Hammond.

In order to teach the class, Hammond will be attending an AP Summer institute in Colorado, which offers intensive professional development for AP educators across the country. For a minimum of 30 hours, attendees will receive training designed to strengthen how they teach AP courses.

“As I attend the summer seminar the nuts and bolts of the class will start to develop. I’m pretty excited about that. For a week I’ll be working with other AP euro teachers from across the country, so it should be a lot of fun,” said Hammond.

Hammond has been teaching at Athens Drive since 1996 and has traveled extensively across Europe. He is currently teaching American History Ⅰ and is the Athens’ Drive golf coach.

“It’s an interesting history to me. I’ve traveled a lot in Europe so I’m excited about bringing my travels and experience into a learning environment,” said Hammond.