On Oct. 24, OH Assistant Principal Taina Sharp, the Advanced Placement (AP) coordinator, received a letter from Trevor Packer of College Board congratulating OH for earning a spot on the AP School Honor Roll.
“Your school has earned a place on the College Board’s AP School Honor Roll for the 2023-24 school year!” the letter stated. Oswego East High School, OH’s sister school in SD308, has also earned this award.
“The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools that have done outstanding work to welcome more students into AP courses and support them on the path to college success,” the letter continued.
Along with the AP Honor Roll placement, OH was also awarded the AP Access Award. This award focuses on the support for AP classes in the school building, encouraging everyone to take one throughout their high school career.
According to Sharp, the AP programs throughout SD308 are constantly growing. With Sharp’s support, the school makes sure many students get opportunities in many different fields of education.
OE’s curriculum leadership shared in the recognition of a team of professionals to support AP courses.
“It is a result of our entire faculty working together to elevate rigor and to deliver high-quality instruction at all levels to prepare students to take on greater and greater academic challenges,” said Kurt Laakso, OE Assistant Principal of Curriculum & Instruction.
Both schools hold events leading up to course selection, encouraging students to take AP classes. Both schools work to show that these courses can prepare students for college by the fast-paced environment and completing credits early.
“The success of OE’s AP program illustrates how collaboration and persistence on the part of students, staff, and all school stakeholders can result in impactful rewards for aspiring scholars,” Laakso explained.
At OH, there are currently 37 AP courses for students of all grade levels to take. These courses range in many subjects to successfully set students up for their futures.
“I think that every AP class gives a sense of what college will be like,” said Jennifer Keto, OH Social Studies Department Chair. “It teaches [them] how to organize, time manage…[AP classes] exposes them to higher level material.”
AP classes run every year to give students in the district a chance to be exposed to AP and college-level classes. For example, AP African American Studies was approved to run in the coming school years.
“It’s a new demographic that we are hitting [with AP African American Studies]… we want to have interests from all demographics,” said Keto.
Hi I'm Chayse! I'm a Senior at OHS and this is my first year on the 42Fifty team. When I'm not at school, I participate in activities such as BIONIC, Commotion, SOTC, and many various Honor Societies! You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
