High school students earn AP Scholar Awards

SPARTA — At Sparta High School eleven 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. About 18 percent of the 1.9 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award. Sparta students recognized are Gregory Allan, Nicholas Bachmann, James Crawford, Jacob Frieling, Elena Insley, Colby Isenberg, Joshua Koss, Amanda Moffett, Alec Ragnetti, Jeffrey Triolo, and Lucas Zahner. Thirteen 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 Heather Conway, Kerry Filtz, Christian Fletcher, Katharine Fredericksen, Lawren Geer, John Irwin, Adrienne Marcino, Bradford Newton, Brendan Perkinson, Erica Roberts, Layla Samandi, Sarah Trotter, and Katy Venizelos. Seventeen students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher. The AP Scholars are Arsenoi Asfour, Patrick Castaldi, Nicole Chanin, Chrysten Colacicco, Jacqueline Conlan, Marco Cuesta, Jeffrey Earl, Nicholas Gomez Kailee Gori, Anya Kuzk, Erik Price, Jessica Sands, Gianna Seeland, Lauren Sterlin, Benjamin Tarloff, Chelsea VanOrden, and Erika Veidis. Of this year’s award recipients at Sparta High School, six are current seniors: Layla Samandi, Patrick Castaldi, Chrysten Colacicco, Nicholas Gomez, Erik Price, and Lauren Sterlin. These students have at least one more year in which to complete college-level work and possibly earn a higher-level 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 AP exams are aligned with the same high standards expected by college faculty at some of the nation’s leading liberal arts and research institutions. More than 3,600 colleges and universities annually receive AP grades. Over 90 percent of four-year colleges in the United States provide credit and/or placement for qualifying exam grades. 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. 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 5,700 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 readiness, 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 Program (AP). 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.