District News
87 THS students earn AP Scholar designation
Eighty-seven Tahoma High School students have earned the designation of AP Scholar in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program (AP) Exams. These AP Scholars represent a 24% increase from the number of AP scholars at Tahoma Senior High last year and a 52% increase over the past two years.
The College Board's Advanced Placement Program® provides motivated 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. About 18% of the nearly 1.7 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award.
The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on the number of exams.
At Tahoma High School, three students, Samantha Kunze, Hannah Stumpp, and Kyle Zemek, qualified for the National AP Scholar Award, as well as for the AP Scholar with Distinction 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. Kunze, Stumpp, and Zemek bring the total of AP National Scholars in Tahoma School District history to six. Matthew Zemek, a 2007 graduate and older brother of Kyle Zemek, was the first to earn this honor.
Thirty-two students, up from eighteen students in 2008, qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of 3.5 or higher on a 5-point scale on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. The AP Scholars with Distinction are: Daniel Bauer, Sun-Li Beatteay, Emily Bicknell, Erin Board, Rachel Bowers, Wiley Duerson, Melinda Gonzales, Eric Guzman, Robin Hanson, Jordan Heintz, Samantha Kunze, Kelly Lehigh, David Mahoney, Savannah Marstall, Benjamin Mead, Kristofer Melewski, Hannah Mittelstaedt, Richard Myers, Hannah Oosterhout, Zachary Patnode, Sean Peerenboom, Kelton Sears, Taylor Shiroma, Cory Sjoberg, Hannah Stumpp, Joel Sweeney, Kelsey Taylor, Charles Tilander, Russell Verkruyse, Curtis Walton, Kassia Wilhelm, and Kyle Zemek.
Nineteen 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 Mariah Anderson, Casey Campbell, Jesse DeVivo, David French, Julie Goeman, Martin Gomez, Kristen Jacobson, Ann Layman, James Lumia, Ryan Markert, Prescott Morley, Alena Morris, Oliver Orr, Samuel Reed, Brittani Reiterman, Karissa Smith, David Sutterfield, Hanna Vander Woude, and Emily Wittman.
Thirty-six students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Examinations, with grades of 3 or higher. The AP Scholars are: John Buban, Eric Cahoon, Shelby Carlson, Brianna Celli, Samantha Clark, Jayson Clem, Alexander Costanzo, James Creek, Matthew Cunningham, Shayna Dahmen, Alex Duncan, Kayla Eshe, Cory Ferguson, Ryan Goranson, Lisa Harrington, Matthew Herman, Talor Hopkins, Bradley Hwang, John Iatesta, Kelsey Johnson, Andrew Kerr, Elizabeth Mahoney, Christopher Marx, Stephanie Mataya, Tyler Mofield, Melissa Moorehead, Jonathan Palazzo, Neal Peck, Kyla Potter, Jordan Railsback, Riley Sloan, Nishanth Sukasi, Clara Thomas, Jonelle Thorsheim, Kayla Warr, and Ssarah Wheeler.
Of this year's award recipients, 30 were juniors at the time of the exam. This year’s award winners include: Mariah Anderson, Eric Cahoon, Casey Campbell, Shelby Carlson, Alexander Costanzo, Matthew Cunningham, Shayna Dahmen, Wiley Duerson, Kayla Eshe, Melinda Gonzales, Matthew Herman, Robin Hanson, Talor Hopkins, John Iatesta, Kristen Jacobson, Kelsey Johnson, James Lumia, David Mahoney, Elizabeth Mahoney, Savannah Marstall, Hannah Mittelstaedt, Tyler Mofield, Melissa Moorehead, Prescott Morley, Oliver Orr, Hannah Oosterhout, Karissa Smith, Jonelle Thorsheim, Sarah Wheeler, Emily Wittman These students have at least one more 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 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 the 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 3600 colleges and universities annually receive AP grades. Over 90 percent of four-year colleges in the Unites 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 in college and higher graduation rates than students who do not participate in AP.
Parents with questions about the Tahoma High School AP program should contact Brooke Dillon, AP/UW coordinator, at bdillon@tahomasd.us, or at 425 413-6245.
