Greater Atlanta Christian’s Academic Program Reaps High Rewards for AP Scholars
Wednesday was College Signing Day and everyone was excited for what the future holds for these students. But are they ready? That is the big question and the motivation behind why Greater Atlanta Christian School invests considerable resources into developing the best AP Program in Atlanta. The Norcross-based school is tied for the top Atlanta private school to have the highest AP pass rate at 84% in 26 AP courses. In the last year, two additional courses have been added bringing the total to 28, the most of any Atlanta private school. That means more opportunity for GAC students to better prepare for the academic challenges that await them.
During this week’s Academic Awards Night, GAC awarded high school students who have performed at the highest level in the AP Program. Over 30 AP Scholars with differing distinctions were recognized. Their performance indicates strong college preparedness, something students are able to achieve before they even begin which gives them a “leg up” on their peers. Scores on the AP exams are used by colleges to determine if they will grant course credit for what the student has already learned.
Says High School Principal Shane Woodward: “These accomplishments are not only indicative of the caliber of students we have but of the quality of our faculty as well. Our teachers’ ability to engage and challenge our students, while equipping them with knowledge of standards that are essential in the Advanced Placement curriculum, is phenomenal. These accomplishments do not just happen. They require careful planning and quality assessment, over time, to understand exactly what students need. Our teachers put a lot of effort into making these scores a possibility for our students and I couldn’t be more grateful for their efforts.”
Among those 33 awarded are:
AP Scholar
Granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams.
Mary Grace Manton (Peachtree Corners)
Navya Sarikonda (Peachtree Corners)
Kaitlyn Williams (Peachtree Corners)
Christopher Barbieri (Lawrenceville)
Ethan George (Lawrenceville)
Catherine Wanning Cheng (Suwanee)
Lillian Clark (Duluth)
Evana Darby (Duluth)
Caroline Lowenstein (Duluth)
Savannah Hill (Braselton)
Summar Hill (Braselton)
Ethan McDonnell (Tucker)
Sofia Nadal (Monroe)
Julia Nguyen (Doraville)
Spencer Yates (Berkeley Lake)
AP Scholar with Honor
Granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.
Sam Collins (Peachtree Corners)
Roy Dixon (Lawrenceville)
Celeste Hosfeld (Suwanee)
Sarah Kester (Duluth)
Christopher Johnson (Berkeley Lake)
AP Scholar with Distinction
Granted to students who receive 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.
Elise Karinshak (Lawrenceville)
Christine Melley (Lawrenceville)
Pranathi Singareddy (Lawrenceville)
Harry Zhang (Lawrenceville)
Matthew Marino (Suwanee)
Alex Wright (Suwanee)
Eunice Park (Duluth)
Adrian Tomasevic (Duluth)
Nataly Beacham (Winder)
Calvin Dong (Johns Creek)
Hunter McIntosh (Snellville)
Grant Mimms (Alpharetta)
National AP Scholar
Granted to students in the US who receive an average score of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.
Victoria Huynh (Lilburn). To note, Victoria also earned a perfect score on her AP Government exam, a rare achievement by only 113 of the over 300,000 students who took the exam globally last May.
