Press Releases

MONTEREY, Calif. - October 31, 2006 - Forty-two students at Santa Catalina School in Monterey, California, have earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) Exams.

Santa Catalina School juniors and seniors took AP Exams in May 2006 after completing challenging college-level courses in both the sciences and humanities. In 2006, thirty-five AP Exams were offered in a wide variety of subject areas, each consisting of multiple-choice and free-response (essay or problem-solving) questions, with the exception of the Studio Art exam, which evaluates students' original artwork.

The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on student's performance on the AP Exams. One Santa Catalina School student, Kira Frenzen, qualified for the National AP Scholar Award-the Advanced Placement Program's highest distinction-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.

Fourteen students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. The AP Scholars with Distinction are Cecily Bates, Hayoung Chung, Cameron Crane, Andrea Drake, Natalie Gomez, Veronica Heiskell, Broghan Helgeson, Emily Intersimone, Noel Kim, Connie Lee, Hamin Park, Ariel Robertson, Grace Song, and Courtney Throgmorton.

Six 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 are Dana Armstrong, Bridget Bengard, Atenas Bustamante, Caitlin Evans, Jacquelyn Gallegos, and Samantha Wai.

Twenty-one students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams, with grades of 3 or higher. The AP Scholars are Felita Agus, Mary Campbell, Alysia Carroll, Yu-Chia Chen, Elizabeth Crosby, Mannimrat Dhillon, Sigrid Fostvedt, Whitney Gall, Hannah Humble, Molly Intersimone, Alexandra Kautz, Jacqueline Knutson, Emily Lastinger, Augusta Loomis, Anna Lopez, Laura McKenzie, Alexandra Neiman, Courtney Nichols, Emily Robertson, Laura Taricco, and Lisa Zellitti.

The College Board's Advanced Placement Program offers students the opportunity to take challenging college-level courses while still in high school, and to receive college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. More than 1,400 institutions award a full year's credit (sophomore standing) to students presenting a sufficient number of qualifying grades.

The College Board is a not-for-profit membership organization whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board serves seven million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,500 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning.

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About Santa Catalina School
Santa Catalina School is dedicated to the education of young people between the ages of 4-18, giving careful consideration to the individual abilities and potential of each child. The school's mission is to balance intellectual growth with spiritual awareness, creativity with order, and individuality with compassion. Santa Catalina School is enriched by the diversity of socioeconomic, religious, geographic, and cultural backgrounds represented by students and faculty. The Upper School includes boarding students from 14 states and 9 countries. Local students come from not only the Central Coast, but also from cities as far away as Gilroy, King City, Santa Cruz, San Jose and Santa Clara. For more information visit www.santacatalina.org or call 831.655.9300.