13 West Chester Area District Students Earn AP Capstone Diplomas

WEST CHESTER, PA —The West Chester Area School District is proud to share that 13 students have earned the AP Capstone Diploma, an academic achievement that is instrumental in helping students get into top colleges.

Over 2,500 schools participated in the AP Capstone Diploma program, a project-based learning experience valued by colleges and universities across the U.S. and around the world.

To receive the AP Capstone Diploma, students must earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar, AP Research, and four additional AP® Exams of their choice.

“We proudly recognize the achievements of students who participated in the AP Capstone Diploma program,” said Dr. Cheryl Newton-Woods, interim assistant superintendent.

“This is a meaningful college readiness program that will serve our students well after high school.”

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Rustin High School student, Tyler Troutman said taking AP Capstone courses was one of the best decisions he made.

“From my first day in the seminar to submitting the paper that got me the difficult-to-attain score of ‘5’ in AP Research, I learned so much about the research process and grew significantly as a writer,” he said.

“I would recommend every high schooler to take AP Capstone as it is a great resource to allow you to research your interests while getting exposure to a college-level class,” said Brianna Ambrosine, a Rustin High School student. “It also helped me hold myself accountable and work on my time management.”

Rustin High School teacher, John Breslin, said the AP Capstone program offers our students a wonderful and unique experience in research and data collection that provides college, career, and life readiness.
“Students not only recognize the value of this program but also truly enjoy the experience,” he
said.

These students were awarded the AP Capstone Diploma:

• Ethan Altshul, East High School
• Alex Chen, East High School
• Keely McClay, East High School
• Magnolia VanDyke, East High School
• Jacob Witmer, Henderson High School
• Brianna Ambrosine, Rustin High School
• Abigail DeMaioribus, Rustin High School
• Likhit Ganduri, Rustin High School
• Goldie Kayser, Rustin High School
• Maggie Ricciuti, Rustin High School
• Arushi Sanbui, Rustin High School
• Samantha Spitzer, Rustin High School
• Tyler Troutman, Rustin High School

These students were awarded the AP Seminar and Research Certificate:

• Erin McClay, East High School
• Julia Snelling, Rustin High School
• Caroline Stark, Rustin High School
• Kayla Teplica, Rustin High School

East High School student Alex Chen was one of only 357 students, or 1.26% of 2023 AP Research Exam takers, from around the world not only to receive a perfect score of 5 but to also earn every point possible on this challenging, college-level examination.