Plymouth Community School Corporation is proud to announce the Indiana Department of Education has recognized Plymouth High School as an Advanced Placement (AP) Award Recipient.
On Wednesday, June 14, 2017, PHS Principal Jim Condon, Assistant Principal Kyle Coffman, Director of Guidance Aimee Portteus, and Weidner School of Inquiry @ PHS Jennifer Felke represented Plymouth High School at a special IDOE ceremony held at the Statehouse in Indianapolis.
Plymouth High School received a recognition award plaque for having 32% of the graduating class score a 3 out of 4 or higher on AP exams during the 2015-16 school year.
Plymouth Community School Corporation Superintendent Dan Tyree said, “Making this list illustrates the rigorous instruction and learning going on at our high school. It also shows that our students are ready for college. We are probably the only school in Marshall County to make the list because we are big enough to have a significant number of AP classes. Most small schools can't afford to offer these courses for their students.”
Condon said, “It is always great to have PHS recognized for our accomplishments. It reinforces my belief that our students can and do compete at the highest levels in comparison to other top performing schools in Indiana. I certainly appreciate the Indiana Department of Education’s willingness to recognize the efforts of our students who are courageous enough to challenge themselves by enrolling in our most rigorous courses. Simultaneously, I am so very thankful for our teachers who are willing to instruct our Advanced Placement courses and bring out the best in our students.”
Plymouth High School offers nine AP courses, with the plans in the works to add more courses in the future. Among the courses offered now are psychology, calculus, biology, Spanish, English literature, English language, chemistry, physics, and statistics. Ten PHS teachers currently teach AP courses. They are as follows: Delia Gadziola, Lyndsey Gorham, Dave Hatcher, John Johnson, Jeff Kindelan, Curtis Nordmann, Suzette Read, Ryan Rust, Regina Warren, and Stephanie Wezeman.
AP Exams are usually scheduled during the first two weeks of May. “We gave approximately 260 exams this past school year. Each year, our enrollment increases,” said Portteus.
Advanced Placement (AP) is a program that was created by the College Board. It offers college-level content and examinations to high school students. AP research reveals qualified students who pass AP courses enroll in college at higher rates than other groups of students, require significantly less remediation, and have higher average first year college grade point averages and credit hours earned than other groups of students.
Although it is unclear how many times PHS has received this annual recognition from the IDOE, it is certainly not the first time. “Our Advanced Placement students and teachers have been recognized annually for several years in a row now,” said Condon.
To learn more about AP Courses visit the College Board website.
To view the IDOE Press release click here.
