SALISBURY — Catawba College will offer K-12 math teachers a free, national professional development program at 2 p.m. on Oct. 28 in the Center for the Environment Room 300 on campus.

This program offering, the first scheduled for this academic year, kicks off the newly formed Central N.C. Math Teachers’ Circle and is slated on an early release day for Rowan-Salisbury Schools.

All interested teachers are encouraged to visit the website http://catawba.edu/academics/schools/arts-sciences/mathematics/math-circles/ to register for the session. For more information contact Dr. Sharon Sullivan, associate professor and chair of mathematics at Catawba at slsulliv@catawba.edu.

Earlier this year, Catawba was awarded a grant to start the Central N.C. Math Teachers’ Circle by the American Institute of Mathematics. The Central N.C. Math Teachers’ Circle is modeled after the Smokey Mountain Math Teachers’ Circle in western North Carolina.

According to Sullivan, the grant will allow the Central N.C. Math Teachers’ Circle to pilot professional development programs this year before offering a three-day summer workshop for area math teachers next year. In future years, she hopes the Central N.C. Math Teachers’ Circle will expand to include neighboring counties.

“The purpose of the Math Teachers’ Circle is to get teachers reinvigorated and to provide collaboration among local schools and Catawba faculty,” Sullivan said. “We also will be looking for opportunities for current Catawba students to be involved with the Circle.”

In addition to Sullivan, Dr. Karen Lucas, an assistant professor of teacher education at Catawba, and Rowan-Salisbury middle school teachers Renee Fox and Elizabeth Henley will serve as the leadership team for the Oct. 28 professional development workshop.