One Hundred and Seventy-Three Students Named AP Scholars

One hundred and seventy-three students who take Advanced Placement classes at Des Moines Public Schools earned AP honors from the College Board, it was announced today, the second most ever recorded by the school district. Students from East, Hoover, Lincoln, North and Roosevelt high schools, as well as Central Academy, were represented among the honorees.

“The success of these students is an inspiration, and their nationally recognized accomplishments in the classroom are testament to their talent and intelligence as well as to the great teachers and educational opportunities available here in Des Moines,” said Superintendent Tom Ahart.

The College Board annually releases the AP Scholars list for each school district following the results of the Spring Advanced Placement testing.

Among the 173 students are 16 recognized as AP National Scholars. To earn the prestigious AP National Scholar Award a student must take eight or more AP exams and receive a score of four or higher (on a scale of 1-5) on each exam.

Recipients of the AP National Scholar Award for the 2012-13 school year are:

Seniors (class of ’13):

  • Olin Carty – Roosevelt (Bates College)
  • Danny Comito – Roosevelt (Iowa State University)
  • Daniel Deeter – Hoover (Drake University)
  • Crystal Hou – Roosevelt (Carnegie Mellon University)
  • Stephanie Hou – Roosevelt (Grinnell College)
  • Maria Lai – Hoover (Harvard University)
  • Luke Sheeley – Roosevelt (Cornell University)
  • Julius Tembe – North (University of Iowa)
  • Seth Van Helten – East (Grinnell College)
  • Nathan Walton – Van Meter/Central Academy (Washington University)

Juniors (class of ’14):

  • Edel Aron – Roosevelt
  • Granger Carty – Roosevelt
  • Connor Gillette – Roosevelt
  • Lillian Nellans – Roosevelt
  • Max Pilcher – Roosevelt
  • Reid Wade – Roosevelt

NOTE: The students’ home high schools are listed, as well as the college members of the class of 2013 are now attending.

In addition to the 16 AP National Scholars, 52 Des Moines students were recognized as AP Scholars with Distinction, 33 as AP Scholars with Honor, and 88 as AP Scholars. Since 1991, 2,394 DMPS students have earned AP Scholars awards, including 307 AP National Scholars.

In addition to Advanced Placement courses offered at Central Academy, DMPS has made significant expansions in the AP courses offered at all five of the district’s comprehensive high schools as each now provides a wide range of AP courses in social studies, science, English, mathematics, world language, and the fine arts. As a result, participation in the AP exam has doubled among Des Moines students over the past two years.

Last year, for the first time ever, all five comprehensive high schools in Des Moines were listed on the Iowa AP Index.

The College Board, which administers the Advanced Placement program, annually releases the AP Scholars list for each school district following the results of the Spring Advanced Placement testing. The College Board’s mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. In addition to the Advanced Placement program, its programs include the SAT college entrance exam and the PSAT/NMSQ. Additional information regarding the Advanced Placement Program is available at www.collegeboard.com.

To download a complete list of all 173 AP Scholar honorees, please click here.