During the 2014-15 school year, 78 Darlington students earned the designation of AP Scholar by The College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program (AP) Exams.
The College Board’s AP Program offers students the opportunity to take challenging college-level courses while still in high school, and to receive college credit, advanced placement or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. About 18% of the more than 1.9 million high school students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at sufficiently high levels to merit the recognition of AP Scholar. Students took AP Exams in May 2015 after completing challenging college-level courses at their high schools. The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on the student’s performance on AP Exams.
At Darlington, three students qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning an average grade of 4 or higher on a 5-point scale on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams. These students are Spencer Fields (’15), Matthew Heiken (’15) and Niambh O’Neill (’15).
Thirty students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. These students are Max Berry (’15), Joy Boakye (’15), Natalie Collins (’15), Will Crawford, Ha Dang (’15), Mario Dinatti (’15), Rachel Gideon (’15), John Goldin (’15), Matthew Guitard (’15), Hannah Harper (’15), Dawson Horah, Rachel Hudson (’15), Katie Hutchins (’15), Abraham Johnson (’15), Sally Jones, Jalisa Kassam (’15), Kristina Li (’15), Wonseok Lim (’15), Carl Schriever, Hannah Schriever (’15), Glen Sun, Adam Tarrant, Jack Tunnell (’15), Stevenson Walker (’15), Dingding Wang (’15), Richard Wang, Grace Xia (’15), Dick Xu, Gracy Zeng (’15) and Ching Ching Zhao (’15).
Eleven students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. These students are Gong Ditthapron (’15), Hanna Jon Lewis, Hunter Manning, Anne Marie McDurmon (’15), Daniel Morris, Dylan Paracka, Vraj Patel, Will Robertson, Will Sparks, Lawson Sumner and Mary Margaret Wright.
Thirty-four students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Examinations, with grades of 3 or higher. The AP Scholars are Juan Angulo Reyes (’15), Braxton Ballard, Charlotte Boyd (’15), Selena Chen, Mario Chen (’15), Kinslee Clevenger (’15), Jenna Crutcher (’15), Sara Dickinson, Chris Edwards (’15), Trent Glass, Lauren Gouthro (’15), Nicholas Jones, Murphy Kenefick (’15), Nadin Kosedag (’15), Thompson Liu, Sandro Lobzhanidze (’15), Alice Lu (’15), Jessica Mauer (’15), Elisa Montanaro (’15), Kyle Wagers Niece (’15), Ethan Pender, Alexandra Porto (’15), Alyse Redden, Hope Roberson (’15), Alexander Roberts, Emily Robertson, Alex Russell, Emma Turner, Jackson Vance, Yutian Wu (’15), Ella Yang (’15), Adrianna Young, Kira Zhang and Nicholas Zhang.
Of these award recipients, 33 are currently seniors and have the 2015-16 school year in which to complete college-level work and possibly earn another AP Scholar Award. Three rising juniors will have two years to meet the appropriate requirements to potentially receive additional awards.
Through more than 30 different college-level courses and exams, AP provides motivated and academically prepared students with the opportunity to earn college credit or advanced placement and stand out in the college admissions process. Each exam is developed by a committee of college and university faculty and AP teachers, ensuring that our exams are aligned with the same high standards expected by college faculty at some of the nation’s leading liberal arts and research institutions. AP is accepted by more than 3,600 colleges and universities worldwide for college credit, advanced placement, or both on the basis of successful AP Exam grades. This includes more than 90% of four-year institutions in the United States. Research consistently shows that AP students who score a 3 or higher on AP Exams (based on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest) typically experience greater academic success in college and higher graduation rates than students who do not participate in AP.
The College Board is a not-for-profit membership organization whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 5,600 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. Each year, The College Board serves seven million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,800 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning. Among its best-known programs are the SAT, the PSAT/NMSQT and the Advanced Placement (AP) Program. The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities and concerns.