114 students named AP Scholars
Sept. 17, 2020
114 students named AP Scholars
“Advanced Placement is widely recognized as among the most rigorous coursework available to high school students,” Dr. Timothy Wagner, Upper St. Clair High School principal, said. “To have such a high number of students choose this challenge and to excel is a testament to their commitment to learning and personal growth. Our students and their teachers are to be commended for this outstanding academic achievement.”
In May 2020, 386 Upper St. Clair students completed 733 AP exams in 22 subjects – earning an 85 percent pass rate. AP tests are scored 1-5; students must earn a 3 or higher to pass and possibly qualify for college credit. (Colleges and universities have independent policies regarding awarding credits for AP courses.)
Fourteen students were named National AP Scholars and AP Scholars with Distinction for earning an average grade of at least 4 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more exams. 2020 graduates Carly E. Abraham; Sarah Besser; Julia C. Brubach; Jason Choi; Aaron T. Hall; Eri Hayakawa; Katherine R. Hobart; Vivian D. Li; Soudip Sen; Zachary J.Smith; and Braden R. Yates; as well as seniors Christian G. Chiu; Harrison L. Chui; and Richa N. Mahajan were recognized for this achievement – the highest honor offered by the College Board.
In addition, Vivian Li earned an AP International Diploma, a certificate awarded to students who display exceptional achievement across a variety of disciplines. Students must score a 3 or higher on five or more AP exams from at least four content areas. The AP International Diploma is available to international students attending secondary schools outside the U.S. and to U.S. high school students applying to universities outside the country. Vivian is attending the Murray Edwards College – University of Cambridge in London.
Thirty-six additional students were recognized as AP Scholars with Distinction. To qualify, students must earn 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. The list of honorees includes 2020 graduates Vivek J. Babu; Tyler Berger; Sunny Chai; Claire L. Chen; Samantha L. DiGiorgio; Devan S. Ekbote; Mitchell M. Friday; Aidan Gordley; Matthew S. Hornak; Mathena A. Jencka; Liam D. Jorgenson; Nisarg A. Kalra; Suemin Lee; Kathleen M. McCurrie; Meghan E. Michener; Benjamin H. Nelson; Benjamin M. Pribanic; Alexander O. Shaw; Anika Sinha; Madeline J. Takos; Ellie A. Tetrick; Chand N. Vadalia; Emmeline G. Wetzel; as well as seniors Sujay Banerjee; Atharva A. Barve; Richard A. Carlson; Anish Chigurupati; Reshma Gudla; Andrew S. Levy; Katherine K. Li; Lucas W. Manalo; John D. Mologne; Jack R. Myers; Sophia R. Shi; Justin H. Yu; and Henry M. Zou.
Twenty-four Upper St. Clair students earned recognition as AP Scholars with Honor by earning an average score of 3.25 or higher on all AP Exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. Upper St. Clair’s AP Scholars with Honor include 2020 graduates Eden G. Auslander; Francesca Belack; Rebekah G. Chikuni; Elinor K. Connor; Jordan M. Holleran; Dylan R. Jenny; Zackary Kingseed; Mark J. Krolczyk; Aaron Mehta; James P. Metzger; Justin T. Pacella; Isabella G. Putorti; Prathiksha Sivakumar; Sara F. Steve; Ashwini S. Walavalkar; and Jacob P. Yakima; seniors Benjamin P. Bacdayan; Bryce A. Keating; Kyle L. Ralyea; Ishaan N. Shah; and Constantine S. Tripodes; as well as juniors Eden Ma; Daniel J. Wang; and Shanning Zhou.
Forty Upper St. Clair students earned the distinction of AP Scholar by earning scores of 3 or higher on three or more exams. AP Scholars include 2020 graduates Lenley X. Aikin; Sneha P. Bhalodia; Kyle Chen; Peyton R. Corona; Samuel J. Dvorin; Ahiri R. Ghosh; Juliana R.Gianni; Matthew W. Hyatt; Yash Jajoo; Keith T. Kerber; Abdullah B. Khan; Owen J. Knight; Casey Liang; Justin D. Maglin; Jacob A. Manko; Emma Mertz; Ella C. Neal; Paige E. Roeschenthaler; Vianna F.Shiry; Steven E. Smith; Brock C. Sollie; and Alexis K. Wehrle; seniors Sydney E. Brown; Franco M. D'Amico; Zhengru Fang; Eileen Guo; Alexander M. Happ; Patrick L. Joyce; Donovan P. Kohler; Shay A. McDowell; Claudia Y. Ng; Alyssa M. Robert; Ryan M. Sarkett; Samantha E. Seewald; Jason D. Zhang; and Veronica Zhang; as well as juniors Sophie C. Chen; Varun Damarla; Saif A. Durrani; and Arunprakash Vasudevan.
The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program offers students the opportunity to take challenging college-level courses while still in high school, and to receive college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on AP Exams. Upper St. Clair High School currently offers 22 AP courses including AP English Language and Composition; AP English Literature and Composition; AP World History; AP U.S. History; AP Comparative Government & Politics; AP U.S. Government & Politics; AP Macroeconomics; AP Microeconomics; AP Psychology; AP Calculus AB; AP Calculus BC; AP Statistics; AP Biology; AP Chemistry; AP Environmental Science; AP Physics 1; AP Physics C: Mechanics; AP Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism; AP Chinese Language; AP Spanish Language; AP Music Theory; and AP Computer Science A.
According to the College Board, AP students are more likely than their peers to complete college within four years and students who take AP exams say it makes them feel more confident and prepared for college.
