Dear Parent/Guardian:
Hi! My name is Christopher Manker, and I will be teaching honors geometry for the 2015-16 school year. This
is my twelfth year at CCHS, my eighth teaching honors geometry, and my fourth teaching AP Calculus. I am a
CCHS alumnus, so I am quite familiar with the benefits of our honors program. Many of you may know my
father, Donn Manker, who has been involved in both the advanced geometry and AP calculus program at CCHS
for decades. Campbell County has traditionally had one of the top advanced math programs in Northern
Kentucky, and I am proud to have the opportunity to help build onto this legacy.
I’d like you to be aware of some of the special challenges and opportunities Honors Geometry offers students:

A primary goal of this course is preparing students to succeed at high levels on the AP Calculus test, but
it also has a huge impact on ACT, SAT, and PSAT test scores. It is truly an advanced course, not
merely a collection of high-performing or highly motivated students. As a result, grading will also be
significantly more demanding. Many students who have typically received A’s with very little work
may find themselves working very hard to make B’s. Often, parents have more trouble dealing with this
reality than the students! Keeping this in mind, parents need to be aware that KEES money is based on
an unweighted GPA. Colleges tend to place more focus on class rank and test scores, however, both of
which could be improved significantly by a strong performance in honors geometry, so there is a clear
advantage to taking the course. In the past, we have had a large number of students scoring in the 30’s
on the math section of the ACT, with some perfect scores! In 2014 the school reached its all-time
record for success in AP calculus, with 29 students receiving a score of 4 or 5, the highest scores
possible! The strong foundation our students received in honors geometry is a big part of that success.

The recommended course sequence for freshmen taking honors geometry is
9th: Hon. Geometry
10th: Hon Algebra II AB
11th: Hon Pre-Calculus AB
12th: AP Calculus AB
Kentucky requires all students to enroll in math courses all four years of high school.
Students may also take AP Statistics in 12th grade. Many students take AP Statistics simultaneously
with Alg II, Pre-Cal, or Calculus in 10th, 11th or 12th grade.

Advanced math classes can require a lot of work and preparation. Every day I will assign some
problems that will be very challenging. Each student is different, so while several students may nearly
finish their assignments in class, others may spend an hour a night working. Students overly involved in
extracurricular activities or who plan to work in the future need to factor in the level of time
commitment required for honors and AP courses. This may also be the first time that many students
have needed to study extensively for tests, a critical skill for success in college.

Sophomores planning to take AP Calculus as seniors need to enroll in both algebra II AND honors
geometry (called “doubling up”) in order to reach calculus by 12th grade. For additional questions
regarding doubling up, contact Donn Manker. This should not affect freshmen in honors geometry.

Geometry is very different from algebra! Most students have succeeded in past math courses because
of their strong computational ability. Now the focus will switch to logic and visualization, which may
be frustrating at first for some students. It may be helpful to remind them that this reaction is quite
common and that after some work, they will make the adjustment. On the other hand, many students
who are visual learners will find the topic much more enjoyable than algebra.

Scholarships: It is never too early to start planning for college. It may not be widely advertised, but
the PSAT (given to juniors) is arguably the most important test for students hoping to win major
scholarships. Specifically, this test determines whether students will become National Merit Finalists, a
designation often resulting in large scholarships at many universities and qualifying students to contend
for even more prestigious awards. (Continued on back)
Why am I mentioning this now? Although the PSAT is given to juniors, sophomores can take it to gain
experience, and this year a new test may be offered to freshmen. The test is 2/3 reading/literary skills
and only 1/3 math. The sooner students start trying to improve in areas such as reading speed and
vocabulary, the better the chance they will have to succeed when they take it in the fall of their junior
years. It may be shocking to hear this from a math teacher, but it’s the truth. I will relay more
information regarding this test as the date approaches.

Tutoring: Students often learn at very different rates, yet the pace of honors geometry is quite rapid, so
I try to be available as much as possible for tutoring. I can schedule tutoring time most days except
Wednesdays (faculty meetings) until 2:45, although my academic team schedule will change several
times throughout the year. I also run our Lunch Math Tutoring program, so students can bring their
food to my room to ask questions during lunch. Feel free to email me to set up a meeting time!

Academic Team: I am co-coach of the high school team and have worked with the middle school team
when my schedule allows. In 2013 CCMS became the first Northern Kentucky middle school team to
play in the state championship match! The high school team has dominated Northern Kentucky over the
past decade (twelve regional championships in 16 years!). In 2012 and 2013 the CCHS quick recall
team was the only team in the state to finish in the top 3 two years in a row, particularly impressive
considering that the majority of the top teams are magnet schools. This is a great opportunity for
students to be involved in one of the school’s most successful organizations.
We are always looking for enthusiastic students in any subject area and have the materials to help
anyone improve rapidly, whether in quick recall or in an individual testing area (math, science, language
arts, arts & humanities, social studies). While it certainly isn’t required for winning scholarships, I can
personally vouch for the fact that the academic team did wonders in focusing my competitive energies
as a student and resulted in enormous academic growth and an appreciation of many subjects outside my
natural interests. I would highly recommend that any student interested in competing for college
scholarships participate in the academic team in some capacity. Freshmen and sophomores are also
eligible for the JV Challenge tournament in November, which is an excellent introduction to
competition.
This year I am hoping to start a new team for students who have never played or only have a little
experience. Look for more information soon on this great opportunity!!!

Math Competitions: The high school offers a variety of math competition opportunities for students of
all ages, including the O’Bryan Tournament in the fall (more information to come in October), afterschool math contests, Governor’s Cup tests (including JV Challenge, a 9th/10th grade tournament), and
the AMC, one of the nation’s most prestigious math competitions (this includes a series of weekly
contest problems and solutions in preparation). Contact me for more details!
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact me any time. With 120+ students it
is often tough to make a direct contact with all parents, but I love getting to know as many of you as possible! I
am often available by phone at the high school until reasonably late (it isn’t out of the question for me to be at
school at 9 or 10 o’clock!), and in particular I return e-mails very quickly, so don’t hesitate to contact me.
I look forward to working with you in the upcoming school year!
Sincerely,
Christopher Ray Manker
Phone: 635-4161 (ext: 1238)
E-mail: christopher.manker@campbell.kyschools.us
P.S. Please fill out the survey on the back page. It will help me develop the best methods of
communication in the upcoming school year!
Honors Geometry Parent Survey
Webpage: You can access my teacher webpage at www.campbellcountyschools.org.
 Go to Our Schools at the top of the district page
 Select Campbell County High School
 Go to the left menu and select Teachers’ Websites
Or bookmark this address to access it directly:
http://www.campbellcountyschools.org/olc/class.aspx?id=22014&s=1063
I plan to post daily assignments and important dates (test alerts, etc.) on this page. I also post
review/remediation videos that have been very helpful to students in the past. (If you or your child has
any specific video topic requests, let me know!)
I may also teach occasional “flipped classroom” lessons in which students would watch the lesson online
the night before, enabling us to devote more time in class to problem-solving and direct interaction. If a
student does not have internet access, I can arrange to put the file on a flash drive ahead of time.
------------------------------------------------------------------------Honors Geometry
Student: _________________________________ Parent/Guardian:________________________
Parent/Guardian E-mail: ___________________________________
Phone Number: _____________
Preferred Method of Contact? (Phone, email, etc.)
Do you have access to the internet at home?
Does your student have a cellphone/tablet device that could be used to access internet in class if
needed? (not required – I just need to know for planning purposes!)
Parent Signature: ____________________________________
Questions/Concerns: If you’d like additional information about tutoring help or have other questions or
concerns about the course, let me know in the space below. If you’d rather communicate confidentially,
you can email me at christopher.manker@campbell.kyschools.us