Schools

Lemont Graduate Named School's First-Ever National AP Scholar

Kim Gannon '13 has been cited as a National AP Scholar for her performance on Advanced Placement exams taken as a junior and senior at Lemont High School.

Lemont High School graduate Kim Gannon ‘13 has been cited as the school’s first-ever National AP Scholar, thanks to her performance on the college-level Advanced Placement (AP) Program exams as a junior and senior.

The College Board’s AP Program offers students the opportunity to take challenging college-level courses while still enrolled in high school, allowing them to receive college credit, advanced placement at the college level, or both based on their performance on the AP exams. The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on students’ performance on the AP exams throughout their high school careers.


In order to be named a National AP Scholar, students must earn an average score of 4.00 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of the exams they took. Gannon, who now is a freshman at Michigan State University, posted a near-perfect average score of 4.90 by earning a 5 (the highest score possible) on nine of the 10 exams she took.

As a junior in 2012, Gannon posted scores of 5 on exams in AP Calculus BC, AP English Language & Composition, and AP U.S. History. She earned AP Scholar Award accolades by completing three or more AP Exams with scores of 3 or higher.

As a senior, she took AP American Government, AP Psychology and AP Statistics, and earned scores of 5 on all three of those exams. However, she also did independent study work on her own in various other subject areas as a senior, taking several AP Exams in subjects in which the school does not offer AP classes. She accumulated scores of 5 in AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics and AP World History, and earned a 4 on the AP European History exam. 

Gannon is one of 28 Lemont students who was cited with AP Scholar honors by the College Board in 2013.

Of the total number of AP exams administered to Lemont High School students in 2013, 68.0 percent resulted in scores of 3 or better. The school’s highest success rate, which is defined as the percentage of students scoring 3 or better, was in AP American Government (92.7 percent), AP Calculus BC (84.4 percent) and AP U.S. History (84.1 percent).

Two Class of 2013 graduates—Justin Stanwyck and Lynn Stanwyck—qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of the exams they took. Both Stanwycks also earned an AP Scholar Award in 2012 for their efforts on AP exams as juniors.

Seven individuals—six graduates and two current seniors—qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of the exams they took. Those honorees were graduates Kevin Fischer, Scott Franklin, Aaron Korte, Nina Moeller and Dan Totura, as well as current seniors Jarrod Hanson and Anna Zechel.

A total of 18 students, including three current seniors, qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with scores of 3 or higher. Included among those honorees are graduates Sam Abboud, Kelly Collins, Chris Dowling, Dawid Janik, Mike Madsen, Marisa Mars,Claire O’Leary, Aaron Oldanie, Katrina Olson, Ethan Parafink, Paul Rachwalski, Sarah Reaves, Joe Ruggerio, Jake Smagacz and Carly Tucker. Current seniors Atri Bathani, Zak Krepps and Robert Rigler also were cited.

Lemont High School students have succeeded at an increasing rate in AP courses over the last five years. In 2009, 49.6 percent of students who were enrolled in an AP class achieved a score of 3 or better in at least one class, and that rate jumped to 66.9 percent by 2011. The school established a new benchmark in 2013, with 68.8 percent of AP students posting at least one score of 3 or better.


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