Calabasas High School Recognized For Female Inclusion In STEM Class

CALABASAS, CA — The College Board recognized Calabasas High School for its efforts to include young women in inclusion of female students in an AP computer science class.

Calabasas High School landed in the top 3 percent of schools in the country for female enrollment in AP Computer Science Principles, a popular class taught by Stella Ranieri, according to Calabasas High School Principal Amy Aviv. Calabasas was one of 832 schools in the country recognized for female diversity in the Computer Science Principles course.

The College Board also recognized 209 schools for female inclusion in the AP Computer Science A course and 64 schools with significant female enrollment in both schools, according to the College Board.

AP Computer Science Principles has always been popular at Calabasas High School and even maintained a waitlist after Ranieri opened up an additional period of the class, Aviv said. Over the last year, female enrollment in the class increased, bringing the school to meet the College Board's requirements for recognition.

"Schools receiving the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have achieved either 50% or higher female exam taker representation in one of or both AP computer science courses, or a percentage of female computer science exam takers that meets or exceeds that of the school’s female population," the College Board said on its website.

Ranieri was "beaming with excitement" when she found out about the award, according to Aviv. For Aviv, the recognition felt personally gratifying. In college, Aviv had initially started as an electrical engineering major. She switched her focus to math after a troubling experience when she walked into an all-male classroom and was met with a snide remark from her teacher suggesting she had entered the wrong room.

"That should never happen ever," Aviv said.

Aviv was proud of Ranieri's recognition given how much she values diversity of every kind in Calabasas High School classrooms, she said.

"It' exciting to see positive change," Aviv said.