Uniondale High scholars honored for AP Capstone achievements

Forty-nine Uniondale High School scholars received recognition for their successful completion of Advanced Placement courses at a ceremony in the high school’s Little Theater last Friday.

Twenty-six students who participated in the two-year AP Capstone Diploma Program were in attendance to receive their awards, which they earned during their junior and senior years. Another 23 scholars were named who graduated with AP honors in June, but they could not attend because they have gone on to college.

“We proudly recognize the achievements of students who participated in the AP Capstone Diploma program,” district Superintendent Dr. Monique Darrisaw-Akil said. “Our AP Capstone students and teachers displayed exceptional dedication to this impactful, multi-academic-year program where they got to explore their passions through scholarly research.”

The Capstone program is administered by the College Board, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing programs and tests — including the Advanced Placement courses and the PSAT and SAT exams — to prepare high school students for college.

Students who take AP courses sit for a single exam for each course at the end of the school year. The AP courses can earn college credits for students who score 3 or higher on the program’s grading scale of 1 to 5.

The Capstone program differs from AP courses. It has two components, each a year long: AP Seminar, which is taken during students’ sophomore or junior year, and allows them to explore topics in which they take a personal interest — for example, how air quality impacts daily life in a given neighborhood — and AP Research, which involves writing a scholarly research paper about a chosen topic, engaging in collaborative work, and delivering a presentation.

Two important components of the program that figure into each scholar’s final score are critical thinking and time management. The assessment of each scholar’s work is based on how all the skills are learned and applied throughout the program.

“These students have enhanced the foundation for their future academic and professional careers,” said Trevor Packer, the College Board’s senior vice president of AP and instruction, who heads the Advanced Placement program, “by honing their ability to manage long-term projects, collaborate with teams, and deliver effective presentations on topics they’re passionate about.”

Two students, Irene Iraheta and Ford-Kate Raynor, earned AP Capstone Diplomas because they scored 3 or higher on the Seminar and Research components, and 3 or higher on at least four AP exams.

An AP Seminar and Research Certificate was awarded to 24 students who earned scores of 3 or higher in the seminar and research components alone:

Arielle Almonor

Caitlin V. Annan

Christian Auguste

Emily A. Carangui

Ulises S. Castro Martinez

Marcela D. Cevallos Salazar

Sabely Chavez

Samara Ciceron

Semia Ciceron

Athena Gavilanes

Alexandria M. Gordon

Tristan O Greenwood

Savannah G. Hope

Emily M. Ingles

Victoria C. Larosiliere

Jasmine Luna-Smalls

Ivon A. Perez

Daniel J. Portillo

Esther Rene

Kimberly T. Reyes

Jeylin Santana

Laisha Tamaca

Samara N. Turner

Amina J. Walker

The names of the other 23 AP scholars, who graduated in June, were also read at the Oct. 6 ceremony, with the names of the colleges they are attending:

Yesica L. Arriola

Hercules Princeton University

Anais D. Arriola

Boston College

Victoria S. Bermeo

University of Rochester

Amber Childs

New York University

Yennilier A. De Los Santos

Nova Southeastern University

Camila F. Decima

CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Christopher E. Diaz

Columbia University

Alexandria M. Gordon

Boston University

Marjorie N. Martinez

Hofstra University

David S. Mayorga

Cornell University

Michael S. Mendoza

CUNY Borough of Manhattan

Nachurel-Destiny J. Mitchel

St. John’s University

Triston Mohamed

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Noelia Moreno

Cornell University

Marlee A. Peters

Bryant University

Jelyssa J. Ravello

Howard University

Esther Rene

Boston University

Kimberly T. Reyes

Stanford University

Andrea M. Rivera Ramos

SUNY College at Old Westbury

Anthony Rivera

Utica University

Shanna M. Semple

Brandeis University

Oscar D. Umanzor

Stony Brook University

Carlos A. Urias-Cunha

Farmingdale State College