Friendswood High School
Friendswood Independent School District

Mary Gillespie received her Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1983. She started teaching at Friendswood High School in 2007 and has taught AP Calculus since 2009. She earned her Master of Science in Mathematics at the University of Houston in 2013.

Mary demonstrates creativity and innovation in the classroom and goes above and beyond to ensure her students have what they need. She utilizes technology to enhance classroom learning, and she tracks her students’ progress to provide individualized instruction when needed. Mary believes in providing opportunities for her students and agreed to teach Multivariable Calculus at a time when her school did not offer it. Her commitment and excellence in teaching is seen in her students’ test scores. Last year, 98.6% of her calculus students earned college credit on the AP test.

Mary is a leader on her campus. She is the lead teacher for AB and BC Calculus, an Advanced Placement grader and the Mu Alpha Theta sponsor. She is also the Friendswood High School University Interscholastic League (UIL), Math Coach for Mathematics and Number Sense, and in 2023, her UIL teams won first place in district competition in Number Sense, Calculator Applications and Mathematics.

Mary is a member of Houston Area Calculus Teachers, the Texas Math and Science Coaches Association, and has presented at the Conference for the Advancement of Mathematics Teaching. In her spare time, she enjoys singing with the choir at Friendswood Methodist Church and spending time with her family.