St. Mary's Ryken Celebrates AP Capstone Diploma & Certificate Recipients

 

At St. Mary's Ryken, 10 students earned the AP Capstone Diploma, and 4 earned the AP Seminar and Research Certificate during the 2024-25 school year. The AP Capstone Diploma program helps students develop critical thinking, research, collaboration, and presentation skills that are essential to academic and career success.

To earn the AP Capstone Diploma, students must earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar, AP Research, and on four additional Advanced Placement Exams of their choice. To receive the AP Seminar and Research Certificate, students must earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research.

Congratulations to the following students who earned the AP Capstone Diploma:

• Delaney Garner, Class of 2025
• Collin George, Class of 2026
• Alyssa Gensley, Class of 2026
• Joshua Magno, Class of 2025
• Brennan Rollins, Class of 2026
• Louise Savvas, Class of 2026
• Sofia Sola, Class of 2026
• Jarrison Tharp, Class of 2026
• Kendall Tharp, Class of 2026
• Amelia Weilke, Class of 2026

Congratulations to the following students who earned the AP Seminar and Research Certificate:

• Olivia Goodman, Class of 2026
• Nigel Haley, Class of 2026
• Lindsey Jahn, Class of 2026
• Oliver Stevens, Class of 2026

During the 2024-25 school year, more than 160,000 students in over 3,500 schools worldwide participated in AP Capstone. Of these, approximately 27,650 students earned the AP Capstone Diploma, and 12,430 students earned the AP Seminar and Research Certificate. 

AP Seminar and AP Research assessments are project-based and evaluate skills mastery through group projects, presentations, and individual essays completed throughout the year. AP Seminar and AP Research are interdisciplinary. Students are encouraged to create research projects based on topics of personal interest and are assessed on the critical thinking, research, collaboration, time management, and presentation skills needed to complete their projects.

“The AP Capstone program reignites curiosity in the classroom,” shared Bianca Peart, global director of the AP Capstone Diploma program. “Students are not only building essential skills for college and career success but they’re also discovering how their voices and ideas can make an impact.”

At SMR, students focused their research on a range of topics, including: How are female characters portrayed in bestselling mid-twentieth-century science fiction novels, Which demographic is most comfortable with driving in autonomous vehicles, How Family Structure Affects Video Game Use Among Children, Social Media and Its Effects on Student Athletes' Mental Health Based On Gender, How does Nasal vs. Oral Breathing Effect Closed Kinetic Chain Exercise Performance in Teens, Mitigating Congressional Insider Trading: The effectiveness of an SEC interagency task force, among others. 

"Congratulations to all the students who earned AP Capstone Diplomas and AP Seminar and Research Certificates during the 2024-25 school year,” said Trevor Packer, head of the Advanced Placement Program. “Their hard work has helped them build foundational skills in project management, presentation, collaboration, and research that will contribute to their success in college and in their professional careers.”

The College Board AP Program allows students to take challenging college-level courses while still in high school. Earning a score of 3 or higher on an AP Exam has multiple benefits for students, including earning college credit, advanced placement in college courses, or both, saving them time and money. Research shows AP students are better prepared for and more likely to enroll and remain in college, do well in classes, and earn their degrees on time. Each exam is developed by a committee of college and university faculty and AP teachers, ensuring that AP Exams align with their high standards.

In partnership with the higher education community, College Board developed AP Capstone courses to help students build and master skills essential for success in college and career.

“AP Seminar and AP Research sets students up for collegiate success as they learn how to tackle a large-scale project and persevere to completion,” shared Dr. Kellee J. Kirkpatrick, senior research fellow at Institute for Science, Technology, and Public Policy at The Bush School of Government and Public Service – Texas A&M University. “We have heard multiple reports from AP Capstone alumni that while their college peers are stressing over small, five-page papers, Capstone students are tackling these projects with confidence. Additionally, completing the AP Capstone courses helps students to be careful consumers of knowledge and well-informed, critical citizens.”

Please click here to view all of the AP courses offered at SMR.