Grayling high school
Advanced Placement
Program

AP PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) Program is an opportunity for students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school and to receive college credits by scoring well on the AP examinations.

By challenging and stimulating students, the AP Program provides access to high-quality education, accelerates learning, rewards achievement and enhances both high school and college programs.

Students who take AP courses learn subjects in depth, develop analytical reasoning skills and develop disciplined study habits that can contribute to continued success at the college level.

Taking an AP examination enables students to compare their knowledge and understanding of a college-level subject against the high academic standards established by college professors. The challenge of meeting these national and international standards gives students a tremendous sense of accomplishment.

College admissions personnel view AP experiences as one indicator of future success at the college level. Participation in an AP course is therefore a great advantage to students who wish to attend highly selective colleges. Course exemptions they can earn with good scores on the examinations give students time, for example, to broaden their college experiences by exploring additional subject areas, participating in internships and studying abroad.

The quality of the AP Program and its participating schools is reflected in the fact that the National Education Goals Panel uses AP as a measure of academic excellence. High schools with successful AP programs are regarded as strong academic institutions, and their participation helps set a standard of achievement for students and contributes to their faculties' professional pride.

GHS has offered AP classes since 1980. The first course offered was English Composition. Since that time, the program has expanded, and students are now able to take AP courses in art, biology, calculus, chemistry, English language and literature, U.S. history and European history. GHS students have also taken AP exams in French, Spanish and World History through independent study. Our students have done very well on the AP exams, generally scoring well above the national averages. We have had many AP scholars -- students who scored above a 3 on 3 or more exams. One school year, we had 9 AP scholars.

To find out more about the Advanced Placement Program, visit its Web site at www.collegeboard.org .

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STUDENTS SHINE IN BIOLOGY AP STUDIES AT GHS by Lynn Thompson, Counselor Fall 2007

The students in Kathy Iler's Advanced Placement Biology class worked very diligently last year, studying for hours and giving up many Saturdays to come into school for lab work, but it all paid off.

As Robert Ramaswamy, currently a student at Yale, wrote: "The rigor of Kathy Iler's AP Biology class quite literally made the AP exam a walk in the park, and the class prepared me to take sophomore and junior level biology courses as a freshman at a rigorous academic institution."

Eight students earned grades of 5 on the rigorous AP exam given in May, one earned a 4, and one earned a 3. A 5 is the highest grade a student can earn, with a 3 being necessary for college credit at most institutions. Globally, only 19% of students taking the AP Biology exam scored 5's. While this was the best year every for AP Bio students, the program has a record of success, with 96% of students earning 3's or better since it began in 1992.

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Three graduates of the Class of 2007 earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level AP exams.

Ashley Jurkovich and Robert Ramaswamy qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least a 3.5 on all AP exams taken and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of the exams.

Glenn Hampton qualified for the AP Scholar Award, granted to students who earn grades of 3 or higher on on three or more AP exams. 

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Seven graduates of GHS and one senior have earned AP Scholar designation by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Exams. Only 18 percent of the more than 1,600,000 high school students worldwide who took these exams performed at a sufficiently high level to merit the recognition of AP Scholar.

The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on the number of courses and exams taken.  One student, Reid Holzbauer, son of Clyde and Nadine Holzbauer, qualified for the highest award, AP Scholar with Distinction. This designation is achieved 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 those exams. Reid took a total of six AP exams in Biology, Calculus, English Literature & Composition, European History, U.S. History and World History.  Reid, who is currently attending the James Madison College of Public Affairs at Michigan State University, had this to say about the AP program: "The AP program was absolutely essential in preparing me for college. I entered in to MSU as a sophomore because of my AP credit and will be able to graduate in a very short time.  More importantly, AP curriculum taught me the essential writing and study skills that are necessary to succeed in a university setting. Undoubtedly, without the AP program and the great teachers behind it, I would not even be close to the student that I am today.  I am so thankful for the GHS AP program and the excellent teaching staff that makes it happen every year."

Three qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award, which is granted to students who receive an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken and grades of 3 or higher on four or more AP Exams. One of these students, April Korneli, is a senior this year. April is the daughter of Fred and Sally Kornelli.  The other two students graduated last June. Christopher Petrie, son of David and Kay Petrie, is studying developmental biology at Eastern Michigan University, and Kilah Vanderstelt, daughter of Derek and Aurelia Bastien, is attending Grand Valley State University, majoring in broadcasting and political science.

Four students were granted the AP Scholar Award, given to students who receive grades of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams: Andrew Curriston, son of  Larry and Shirley Curriston, is currently studying biomedical engineering at Michigan Technological University; Elaina Murray, daughter of  Amanda Murray and Bruce Murray, attends Lake Superior State University, where she is studying biochemistry; Storm Shriver, son of David and Lynne Shriver, is currently attending Kirtland Community College with plans to transfer to Northern Michigan University to study microbiology and mathematics; and Robert Schultes, son of Irene and Steve Schultes.

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Students Once Again Very Successful
in GHS AP Studies - FALL 2009
by Lynn Thompson, Counselor

Seven graduates of GHS have earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Exams. Only 18 percent of the more than 1,700,000 high school students worldwide who took these exams performed at a sufficiently high level to merit the recognition of AP Scholar.

The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on the number of courses and exams taken.  One student, April Korneli, daughter of Fred and Sally Korneli, qualified for the highest award, National AP Scholar. Only .6% earn this award, which goes to students in the United States who receive an average grade of at least 4 on all AP exams taken and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of those exams.

"Grayling High School has an amazing AP program," said April, who is currently a pre-med student at Michigan State University. "Students who take advantage of it can earn college credit, a competitive edge when applying to college and a challenge that better prepares them for college-level classes. I would highly encourage every student to take advantage of the wide variety of AP courses GHS offers which are taught by the best teachers. I would not be the student I am today without having taken AP classes."

Emily Sloan, daughter of Mark and Val Sloan and currently a biomedical engineering major at Duke University, earned the designation of AP Scholar with Distinction. This designation is achieved 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 those exams. 

Two qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award, which is granted to students who receive an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken and grades of 3 or higher on four or more AP Exams. Brianna Ferrell, daughter of Brian and Judith Ferrell, is attending Central Michigan University to major in communications with an emphasis on public relations and minor in performing arts.  Jonathon Lovely, son of Shelley and Scott Norman and Dave and Carol lovely, is studying pre-theatre and fine arts at Western Michigan University.

Three students were granted the AP Scholar Award, which goes to students who receive grades of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams: Joseph Emmons, son of Jeffrey and Nadine Emmons, is pursuing majors in criminal justice and psychology and a minor in foreign language at Grand Valley State University; Hannah Smith, daughter of Dean and Lori Smith, attends Michigan Technological University, where she is studying biomedical engineering; Weston Willoughby, son of Sharon and Todd Willoughby, is a student in the Lyman Briggs College at Michigan State University, a residential learning community devoted to the study of natural sciences and their impact on society.

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GHS AP SCHOLARS NAMED - FALL 2010
by Lynn Thompson, Counselor

Three graduates of Grayling High School have earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Exams. Only 18 percent of the more than 1,800,000 high school students worldwide who took these exams performed at a sufficiently high level to merit the recognition of AP Scholar.

The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on the number of courses and exams taken. One GHS student, Gregory Toprak, qualified as an AP Scholar, a designation given to those students who receive grades of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams. Gregory is the son of Anne and Sinan Toprak. He is currently attending Kalamazoo College . 

Two students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award, which is granted to students who receive an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken and grades of 3 or higher on four or more AP Exams. They are Colin Hamlin and Chynna Williamson. Colin, son of Beth and Paul Hamlin, is attending Alma College, where he is in the Honors College and also playing basketball.  He is pursuing a degree in Business/Communications. Chynna is the daughter of Jon and Dawn Williamson; she is attending the University of Missouri-Columbia, majoring in international studies and business.         

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