Dear Park High School students, 

There are nineteen Advanced Placement (AP) classes at Park. All of which offer a great educational experience with coursework that will prepare you for secondary education if you choose that path. Additionally, the AP teachers involved are all amazing, helpful educators who do their best for all their students to succeed. If you’re wondering if you should sign up for AP classes, I heavily encourage everyone to try as many AP classes as you can.  

Besides preparing you for future education, taking AP classes allows students to take AP exams that are scored from one to five. If you get a three or higher on this exam, you are able to earn college credit. Taking these exams will not negatively affect your GPA or grade in the class in any way and can even help you save money if you pass. These exams do have a cost, however, there are fee waivers for those eligible. 

Besides the possibility of achieving college credit, AP classes offer a challenge for students which only betters their work ethic. These classes can prepare you for the expectations and rigor that awaits in college as well as help you explore possible career paths outside of the pathways at Park. There’s a variety of these classes at Park, ranging from AP Studio Art (2D and 3D) to AP Physics. There are many classes like these that may fit your passions and that will allow you to improve like never before in those subjects. 

I am writing this as a student who has taken 10 AP classes throughout high school. I am now a senior and can confidently say that taking AP classes has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in school. There hasn’t been one class that I regretted taking because of the amount of support I received from classmates and educators and for the great connections I made that made going to school easier. Therefore, if you’re not sure if you should take these classes, I hope you read this letter and make the decision I made.