As the course selection process continues, it’s time to step up to the challenge and take an Advanced Placement (AP) course! These courses offer students college-level material in a high school setting. Though the idea of rigorous AP courses causes students to hesitate, AP classes are a way for them to excel in a subject they love. 

Kailee Heininger, a junior, is currently taking AP Psychology with David Demarzo and AP Literature and Composition with Tara Goodrich. Once she started her AP class she felt “it really prepares you for college.” In fact, Heininger regrets not taking others that were offered for different levels of the core subjects. 

AP courses follow a structure that is focused on the AP exams that occur in the spring. AP course teachers give students in-class time to practice concepts in class leading up to the exam. 

“[Demarzo] is preparing us for the exam right away,” stated Heininger about AP Psychology.

In AP Language and Composition, an alternative to english 3, Brandy Detwiler offers plenty of opportunities for students to practice essays and thinking skills. Detwiler feels that “[AP courses are] not just useful for the college credit, but [they] experience that college-level weight on [their] GPA.”

AP Lang. and Comp. is focused on analyzing and building an argument based on fiction pieces. Detwiler says that AP courses are “not just limited to those who are the best.” She’s seen her students thrive from the beginning to the end of her course.

“My students grow with confidence. I love seeing a student’s voice come out in their writing,” added Detwiler. 

Although exams are what give students true college credit, the exams are timed and that’s what the majority of students worry about.

Tara Goodrich, the AP Literature and Composition (alternative to English 4) teacher said, “The time crunch makes [students] feel flustered and panicked.”

 She also feels the exam score of a three out of six isn’t hard to reach, which is what most colleges will accept.  Even without taking the exam, gaining a valuable college-like experience is just as effective for the future. 

 “Taking the class is just as good as taking the exam; it’s still beneficial to just take the course regardless,” said Goodrich.