60 Darlington students earn the designation of AP Scholar

During the 2011-12 school year, 60 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 percent 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 2012 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, two 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 Jesse Baker (’12) and Avani Reddy (’12).

Twenty-six 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 Jesse Baker (’12), Ke Cui (’12), Joe DeLoach (’12), Keenan Freyberg (’12), Meredith Gaffney (’12), Jordan Hutchins (’12), Hiram Johnson (’12), Annie Klopp (’12), Andrea Martinez (’12), Ansley McDurmon (’12), Saahil Patel (’12), Melissa Picon (’12), Avani Reddy (’12), Lauren Renaud (’12), Kendrick Rhea (’12), Anna Grace Rutledge (’12), Andrew Safigan (’12), Austin Spooner (’12), Patrick Tarrant (’13), Jonathan Tierney (’12), Yu Wang (’12), John Wilhoite (’12), Du Zhang (’13), Jinzhu Zhang (’12), Lingnan Zhao (’12) and Shengnan Zhao (’12).

Nine 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 Bailey Brock (’13), Cooper Crawford (’13), Marypage Evans (’12), Remy Jennings (’13), Celina Kassam (’13), Matthew Roberson (’12), Bonnie Rowland (’12), Zhouyi Wang (’12) and Will Warren (’13).

Twenty-five students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Examinations, with grades of 3 or higher. The AP Scholars are Alyson Atwell (’13), Maria Barragan (’13), Harris Burton (’13), Hiu Yan Chan (’12), Ya Chanatrutipan (’12), Cam Collins (’12), Alex Cox (’13), Lindsay Evans (’12), Anna Forrister (’12), Brody Gardner (’12), Grace Greene (’13), Oingzi Guo (’13), Tanna Key (’13), Robert Kuckhoff (’12), Kyungpyo Lee (’12), Emaleigh Oneal (’12), Laura Owens (’12), Shan Paracka (’12), Dylan Plank (’12), Anna Marie Scoccimaro (’12), Caroline Walker (’13), Dillon Weeks (’13), Rosie White (’12), Oianyu Xiao (’13) and Haorui Zhu (’12).

Of these award recipients, 17 are currently seniors and have the 2012-13 school year in which to complete college-level work and possibly earn another AP Scholar Award.

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 percent 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.