One hundred and twenty-one Tahoma High School students have earned the designation of AP Scholar in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program (AP) Exams. Four of these students have also earned the designation of AP National Scholar.

These 125 AP Scholar awards represent a 13 percent increase from the number of AP scholars at Tahoma Senior High last year and a 28 percent increase over the past two years. The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program provides students with the opportunity to take college-level courses while still in high school, and to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams.

About 18 percent of the nearly 1.9 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award.

The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on the number of exams.

At Tahoma High School, four students from the class of 2012, Connor Durkin, Kristen Jamieson, Kyla Marczewski, and Grace Taylor, qualified for the National AP Scholar Award, as well as for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award, by earning an average grade of 4 or higher on a 5-point scale on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.  Durkin, Jamieson, Marczewski, and Taylor bring the total of lifetime AP National Scholars in Tahoma School District history to 17.

Matthew Zemek, a 2007 graduate, was the first to earn this honor.Forty-five students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of 3.5 or higher on a 5-point scale on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

The AP Scholars with Distinction who are currently seniors at Tahoma are:  Alissa Bates, Benjamin Fitter, Heidi Grether, Shanan Hopp, Rylee Jones, Timothy Lamb, James Garrett Love, Anna May, Joseph Myers, Olivia Ranft, Angela Rocchi, Jacob Seely, Miranda Smith, Carter Stoddard, Connor Taylor, Jennifer Taylor, Madalyn Turek, Kendall Von Michalofski, Hannah Wheeler, William (Billy) Wheeler, and Matthew Whittlesey.

The AP Scholars with Distinction who graduated in June 2012 are:  Brandon Clem, Tess Clinkingbeard, Kaitlyn Dige, Connor Durkin, Mark Eads, Nathan Farnsworth, Sarah Fuller, Matthew Horne, Kristen Jamieson, Oliver Kombol, Brooklyn Leick, Kyla Marczewski, Allanah Miller, Troy Odstrcil, Julianne Reilly, Thomas Reinhard, Andrew Reinman, Lora Sonnen, Grace Taylor, Clara Tibbetts, Harrison Waldock, Lindsey Warr, Kirsten Winter, and Anthony Yun.

Twenty-three students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

The AP Scholars with Honor who are currently seniors at Tahoma are:  Noah Adam, Karissa Bosshart, Marc Burger, Emily Burlison, Joel Christensen, Jonah Duncan,  Kailee Haong, Abigail Hutsell, Tyler Johnson, Trent Lawrence, Kendra McSheridan, Dessa Meehan, Matthew Milburn, Amanda Peng, Niribili (NikI) Sarmah, and Taylor White. The AP Scholars with Honor who graduated in 2012 are: Rachael Carpenter, Emily Martin, Allison Needles, Erin O’Rourke, Holly Pebles, Corey Weary, and Andrew Yatteau.Fifty-three students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Examinations, with grades of 3 or higher.

The AP Scholars who are currently seniors at Tahoma are: Colin Bell, Shane Bowers, Victoria Bowers, Megumi Brandan, Miranda Cadiente, Grace Coverett, James French, Rachelle Frets, Jessica Grant, Dakota-Storm Gray, Jordan Hays, Jackie Hickman, Adam Kane, Dean Kayler, Molly Lathrop, Nicole Lindblom, Eric McCormick, Tyler McGowan, Mikayla Melton, Emily Myette, Trey Nakanishi, Erika Nist, Carly Overhauser, Bryn Peters, Anna Pierre, Marie Pitts, Dana Reid, Madeline Smith, Margaret Stuefloten, Colin Wallace, Mollie Webb, and Schuyler Wilhelm.

The AP Scholars who graduated from Tahoma in 2012 are: Harumi Brandan, Morgan Browne, Elizabeth Burianek, Riley Caler, Gabriel (Kai) Cerbana, Neil Cochran, Samantha De Leon, Mitch Feldman, Rachel Gilmore, Lindsey Habenicht, Allison Haun, Austin Isop, Rachel Loofburrow, Kaitlin Lowe, Spencer Mahoney, Nicole Meade, Anna Paulson, Ian Peep, Tanner Schill, Alivia Ward, and Caitlyn Ward.

Of this year’s award recipients, 69 were juniors at the time of the exam, an almost 100 percent increase from last year’s 35 students.

These 69 students have at least one more year in which to complete college-level work and possibly earn an even higher AP Scholar Award.

More than 3,800 colleges and universities annually receive AP scores. Most four-year colleges in the United States provide credit and/or advanced placement for qualifying exam scores.

Parents with questions about the Tahoma High School AP program should contact Brooke Dillon, AP/UW coordinator, at bdillon@tahomasd.us, or at 425 413-6245.