A poster hanging inside Patricia Dahmen's classroom at Cornell Junior/Senior High School has a few sharp words about success.

"Don't just wish for it," it reads. "Work for it!"

	Pam Panchak, Post-Gazette Cornell teacher Patricia Dahmen, center, assists junior April Bucek, from Neville Island during her Advanced Placement English course. Junior Melissa Esposito, from Coraopolis, is in the background. Click photo for larger image. Listen In Cornell teacher Patricia Dahmen and her class read and discuss Shakespeare.

Students arriving each day for her Advanced Placement class in English literature and composition no doubt can relate. After all, they are expected to devote 10 to 15 hours weekly outside class on that one course alone. They read at least six novels, a handful of short fiction stories, poetry and Shakespearean plays. Then there are the analytical papers of three-to-five pages each that must be written every nine weeks, plus an essay and final project.

Class participation "is extremely important," the syllabus warns.

And yet, teen-agers still want to enroll.

The English class that Mrs. Dahmen created three years ago was the first AP course in the tiny district. Initially, there was skepticism that a district graduating just 50 students a year could generate enough demand for such a specialized course, but it has prospered with enrollment typically at 12.

Principal Donna Belas said it's due in large part to the enthusiasm of Mrs. Dahmen, 28, who meets with students over lunch and at other times to offer extra help as needed.

Mrs. Dahmen, in her fourth year at Cornell, graduated from Robert Morris University in 2002. To develop her course, she visited AP classes in Moon and other districts.

In her class, students sit in a circle, as they did one recent Wednesday reading aloud and analyzing prose from Shakespeare's "Othello."

Class is highly interactive. During the class, she prodded her students along at times and smiled warmly as they struggled with Shakespearean prose and dissected the meanings behind it.

The relatively small class size makes it easier to become familiar with a student's learning style. So does the fact that in a small district like Cornell, Mrs. Dahmen has had many of the students before.

"I tell them 'Look at what you're reading and question it -- even if you're unsure,'" she said. "Every opinion is valid as long as you can support it from the text."

She avoids straight lectures. "They will listen but it's not their preferred method. They'd rather interact with each other about what they're reading and learning, and they'd rather have a group project."

She has plenty of them.

To study Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House," students created their own Playbill with descriptions of the cast and fictitious advertisements.

Some who have taken the class have a career interest in literature, but others are taking the course simply to be exposed to the works.

"They want the class for the challenge. That's a good thing. Not everyone is going to pass, but that's not what it's designed to do," Mrs. Dahmen said.

Some former students who return from campus for visits say it has served them well in freshman literature courses.

"They say 'Thank you for being so hard.' I'm actually harder than most of their college professors," Mrs. Dahmen said, adding with a laugh, "Not intentionally."

Abbie Minton, a junior, wants to be a marine biologist. She said the ability to handle the heavy reading assignments is a confidence builder and is helping to broaden her horizons.

Alaina Wydra, a senior from Coraopolis who's interested in nursing, said the best thing about Mrs. Dahmen was her approachability.

"You're challenged, but at the same time you can always go to her if you need the help," Alaina said. "You can e-mail her and ask her questions. Even for study halls, she'll stop whatever she's doing if she's in her prep period. She'll take the time."