Hills East’s Cynthia Cullen Named AGS Geography Teacher Fellow

The American Geographical Society (AGS) has named Cynthia Cullen of Half Hollow Hills High School East in Dix Hills, New York, as a 2018 AGS Geography Teacher Fellow. Mrs. Cynthia Cullen is one of 50 teachers selected from across the United States to participate in this third year of the initiative. The AGS Geography Teacher Fellow initiative has been made possible by a generous gift from the Boundless Corporation, sponsorship from Mapbox for the Geography Teacher Fellow Mapathon, and support from the AGS Corporate Angels Partners, whose contributions provide resources for teacher professional development throughout the year.

Mrs. Cynthia Cullen teaches Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography in Dix Hills, NY. As part of the award for being selected as an AGS Geography Teacher Fellow, Mrs. Cullen will attend the AGS Fall Symposium on

November 15 and 16, 2018 at Columbia University in New York City. The Symposium provides Teacher Fellows with the opportunity to gain valuable cutting-edge content knowledge and awareness of the real-world geographic workplace skills demanded by today’s geospatial companies.

“I'm excited to be chosen as an AGS teacher fellow,” said Cullen. “AP Human Geography is a fantastic course that exposes students to topics that educate students to be global citizens, and AGS offers me opportunities to provide students with relevant, real-world experiences to illustrate concepts learned in the classroom.”

“We are very pleased to be able to invite Cynthia, who is one of the top geography teachers in the country, to join us in New York City in November,” said Dr. John Konarski, CEO of the American Geographical Society. “AGS Geography

Teacher Fellows are an integral part of the AGS community, leading and educating future generations in geography and geospatial science. This year we have focused on expanding activities that reinforce teachers’ geographical and geospatial knowledge, and will be continuing to provide guidance to teachers seeking to develop projects for their classrooms,” said Dr. Konarski.

Geography 2050 is the most important and widely recognized geographical/geospatial event in North America during the fall semester. CEOs and senior executives from preeminent geospatial companies along with leading experts and representatives from government, not-for-profits, and academia attend the AGS Fall Symposium.

An education-oriented community with high academic expectations, the Half Hollow Hills Central School District is located in a residential area of 50,000 people in the central part of Long Island, approximately 40 miles from New York City. Providing for the education of almost 8,000 students, the school district has five elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools. Half Hollow Hills High Schools are fully accredited by the New York State Department of Education and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The district is committed to providing all students with opportunities to excel in academics, athletics and the arts.

The American Geographical Society (AGS) is a 21st century learning society dedicated to the advancement of geographic thinking, knowledge, and understanding across business, government, academe, social sectors, and most importantly with teachers and students. Established in 1851, AGS is the oldest professional geographical organization in the United States. It is recognized worldwide as a pioneer in geographical research and education for over 166 years. The mission of AGS is to advance and promote geography in business, government, science, and education. Our goal is to enhance the nation’s geographic literacy so as to engender sound public policy, national security, and human well-being worldwide. AGS seeks to engage the American public, from its youngest to its oldest citizens, with new and amazing ways to understand and characterize our changing world. The Society maintains its headquarters in New York City.