Honors at Atlantic Cape
The Honors Program is designed for students who excel academically and who want to work more intensely in a small class environment with honors faculty who are accomplished experts in their field. Honors courses do not require more work; the purpose of an Honors course is to offer high achieving students the opportunity to participate in engaging and creative learning environments that extend beyond those of the regular classroom. The Honors curriculum will consist of special sections of general education courses. No additional cost is associated with Honors courses. The Honors Program is a part of the Student Success initiative. Honors prepares students to transfer to competitive four-year colleges and universities. The benefits of the Honors Program are:
- Small class size
- Honors faculty who are experts in their field
- Recognition by transfer to four-year institutions
- Advising by honors faculty
- Opportunity to enroll in Atlantic Cape's national honor societies, including Phi Theta Kappa and Sigma Kappa Delta
- Resume builders for scholarships, transfer and career
- Honors designation on transcript
For More Information Contact:
Professor Stephanie Natale-Boianelli, Honors Coordinator
Are Honors courses right for me?
What are the requirements to enroll in an honors course?
1. 3.5 cumulative GPA
2. OR Faculty recommendation
3. OR Advisor recommendation
Are Honors courses right for me?
In an Atlantic Cape Honors Course, you can expect
- A specialized approach to the course content, which could be a course theme, an emphasis on primary texts, more creative assignments, etc.;
- A challenging but reasonable workload since Atlantic Cape honors courses use the same goals, objectives, and evaluation criteria as all non-honors sections of the course;
- A classroom community of engaged and motivated students;
- A small class size that promotes opportunity for participation and individual feedback;
- An accessible professor who is both an expert in the course material and knowledgeable about Atlantic Cape;
- And a mentoring relationship with this professor, who will be a guide and resource to you during and after the semester.
Atlantic Cape Honors Students are expected to
- Be invested and engaged in the classroom community, having a natural curiosity and love of learning;
- Be an active participant in the classroom and course, including discussion and group work;
- Make the time commitment needed to master the course goals and objectives and craft excellent work;
- And be self-directed, proactive learners with strong time management skills.
Honors Program News and Events
Honors Crossover Events: A Look Inside the Honors Classroom
Kathryn Frew’s Honors Introduction to Literature and Stephanie Natale-Boianelli’s Honors Composition I are using their shared time slot to host crossover events that give honors students the opportunity to consider new perspectives on their coursework. Both courses have themes about breaking the conventions of literature/composition in order to deepen the students’ understanding of writing. They held the first of these events on Thursday, September 22nd, 2022 when the two classes met to discuss Emily Short’s
“First Draft of the Revolution,” an experimental work of fiction told as an interactive epistolary story where readers can choose the revisions and influence the final draft of the characters’ letters. The Honors Introduction to Literature students brought their experience with analyzing non-traditional literary works, and the Honors Composition I students brought their experience with dismantling the traditional structures of composition; in groups mixed with students from both classes, they considered how the limitations of the revisions controlled the reader’s experience, revealed character development in new ways, and built meaning both in the text and in the experience. They unearthed how the structure itself helped Short achieve her goals for the work and will take this knowledge back to their individual course papers. The two classes will meet for their next crossover event to work with Harper’s Index to think about white space in composition, data as evidence, and non-traditional transitions.
PTK Students Named 2022 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholars
Katherine Jaques and Chloe Cramutola were named 2022 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholars. Katherine and Chloe are members of Atlantic Cape's chapter of Phi Theta Kappa and applied for Leaders of Promise through the PTK scholarship application. They are one of 207 scholars selected out of over 1,300 applications and will receive a $1,000 scholarship.
Atlantic Cape Students Named to All-State Academic Team
Congratulations to Atlantic Cape students Madelyn Sacco and Megan Kazier who have been named to the 2022 New Jersey All-State Academic Team. This recognition by the New Jersey Council of County Colleges honors the outstanding achievements and service of selected Phi Theta Kappa honor society members. During the 2021-2022 academic year, 
Madelyn served as the president and Megan as vice-president of Atlantic Cape’s chapter, and both are honors program students. They were honored during the New Jersey Community College Scholars Celebration on April 28th, 2022 at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton.
Atlantic Cape Students Attend Phi Theta Kappa Middle States Regional Conference
Five Atlantic Cape Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society members attended the PTK Middle States Regional Convention on March 10th-13th, 2022 at the Seaview in Galloway. Madelyn Sacco (President), Megan Kazier (Vice President of Scholarship), Soleil Yakita (Recording Officer), Victoria Axelsson (Treasurer), and Jasmin Caldwell attended the convention with Stephanie Natale-Boianelli, their faculty advisor. The convention included programming on servant leadership and opportunities to explore the current PTK honors in action theme on the connections between play, creativity and learning as well as opportunities to network with other PTK members, advisors, and alumni and representatives from four-year institutions. 
Environmental Science Faculty Member Visits Honors Composition I
On October 19 th, 2021, science faculty member Richard Perello visited Rich Russell’s Honors Composition I course for a cross-disciplinary event. This fall, Honors Composition I is exploring the theme of solitude, what it is and what it teaches us, and Richard Perello visited with the class to provide a naturalist perspective on The Pine Barrens. Rich Russell said of the event, “Richard was so generous with his time and in sharing his knowledge and perspective on the ecology and natural history of the Pine Barrens. The images and expertise he brought to this work, along with his own personal interest in and commitment to our environmental community, beautifully complemented our discussions of John McPhee's book The Pine Barrens and prepared us to "live deliberately" with Thoreau in coming class meetings. We will all be looking for flying squirrels in the parking lot the next time we are leaving campus after dark.
Honors Student Named Semifinalist for Cooke Scholarship
Honors Composition II: A Look Inside the Classroom
In Professor Katie Frew’s Honors Spring 2022 Composition II class, students are exploring the multi-layered theme of the technologies of protest, which refers to both the activist’s protest toolbox generally and the ways that technology can facilitate, augment, or replace those tools. Recently,the students considered performance as a tool of protest, examining the 1990 U.S. Capitol Crawl in support of the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act as well as the recent kneeling of athletes during the National Anthem (and the role media played in fueling the debate). Later this semester, the class will analyze and evaluate hashtag activism as a tool of protest. All the while, the course makes connections between the persuasive skills needed for protest and the skills students are developing in academic writing.
Sylvia Path Scholar Visits Honors Composition I
On December 7th, Richard Russell’s Honors Composition I class had another special experience, when they were visited by Emily Van Duyne, Assistant Professor of Writing at Stockton University. Van Duyne is a 2021-2022 Fulbright Scholar and a Sylvia Plath scholar, who is currently working on a book about Plath. Honors Composition I’s theme this semester is solitude, and through introducing students to Plath’s life and legacy, Van Duyne provided context for students to consider how solitude played a role in Plath’s creative work after she was abandoned by her husband Ted Hughes.
Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society
Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) National Honor Society
Website: https://www.ptk.org/
Atlantic Cape Chapter Advisor: Stephanie Natale-Boianelli
PTK College Project 2022: Scholarship Resources for Students
Every year, Atlantic Cape Community College gives away thousands of dollars worth of scholarships to students. Applying for scholarships can be challenging for students. Examples of this are writing scholarship essays and asking for faculty recommendations. Students may not know where to find resources to assist them with their needs for applying for scholarships. Atlantic Cape’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa has put together some resources to help students successfully apply for scholarships. Below are some tips and information to assist students with their applications. All students deserve to succeed with their scholarship applications, and we hope these resources are helpful with that process!
PTK Scholarship Essay Writing Video: https://youtu.be/lBmKVshFaL8
The FREE tutoring department will look over your essay for you! Take advantage of an extra set of eyes looking over your essay. Be sure to submit your request early to ensure enough time for your paper to be reviewed and returned before the deadline. Visit the writing lab in the library or email your paper to: tutoring@atlantic.edu
Other honor society chapters at Atlantic Cape
Sigma Kappa Delta National English Honors Society for Two-Year College Students
Website: https://www.english2.org/
Atlantic Cape Chapter Advisor: Vickie Melograno.
Honors Course Design
Often when high school honors students first consider a college or university Honors education, they may feel some reluctance to take on what they believe will be extra work or little more than an accelerated version of an already-fast-paced college education.
But college Honors is not designed to be about more work or harder work. It is truly student-centered education. It is meant to provide students with an education that helps them develop their own ideas rather than simply having them feed back information. It is about discussing issues and encouraging innovation in an atmosphere of open exchange, where students' views are respected. Honors programs emphasize diverse perspectives, interdisciplinary course work, small classes, and greater interaction between students and professors. Honors education is about learning to think clearly, to write well, to argue thoughtfully. It is about developing the student's fullest intellectual potential.
Finally, students should bear in mind that the majority of their courses in college will not be Honors courses. They will be courses in their major or free electives.
Honors Course Simplified
To keep this simple the definition to faculty is the one described by the Honors Coordinator at Mercer. Honors is a traditional course plus an "H-Factor."
Usually that means that Honors students read more primary texts and are evaluated by writing and projects rather than scantron tests. The class is also not conducted by lecture.
Mission Statement
Honors at Atlantic Cape provides an enriched academic experience to a select group of highly motivated students. Through a curriculum of Honors General Education courses that emphasize global awareness, cultural experiences, and local engagement, Atlantic Cape Honors students are challenged to connect their studies to the world beyond the campus. By fostering collaborative learning and intellectual inquiry, Honors at Atlantic Cape prepares students for transfer to competitive four-year colleges and universities, as well as for citizenship in our 21st century world.
National Collegiate Honors Council
Website: https://www.nchchonors.org/