Sparta freshman wins distinction award

SPARTA — Ian Garrison of Sparta has earned an AP Scholar with Distinction Award in recognition of his exceptional achievement on AP Exams. The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program® provides willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school, and to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. To earn the AP Scholar with Distinction Award students must qualify by earning an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. About 18 percent of the more than 1.9 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award. Ian was one of two New Jersey ninth graders and one of 16 ninth graders nationwide to earn the AP Scholar with Distinction Award. Additionally, this past spring Ian was recognized by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth and Study of Exceptional Talent for achieving the highest SAT and ACT scores in New Jersey and among the highest nationally in his age grouping during the 2009-2011 testing periods. In addition to his academic studies, Ian conducts field research through the Citizen Science program sponsored by the New Jersey Audubon Society, and participates in the community through volunteer work.