During the 2018-2019 school year, Eastern will be introducing the prestigious AP Capstone Program, a new research program, that according to the College Board, “equips students with the independent research, collaborative teamwork, and communication skills that are increasingly valued by colleges”.

  The program has a few rigorous requirements, however. Students enrolled in the program will need to take AP Seminar and AP Research, as well as have 4 total AP classes throughout junior and senior year.

  Students will take AP Seminar as a full-year class junior year and then take AP Research as a senior. If one completes both courses with a 3 or higher, they graduate with a Capstone Diploma. Mrs. Palmer, who currently teaches Gifted and Talented, will be teaching the class starting this fall.

  Though Eastern is just implementing the program next year, other schools like La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, have had the program going for two years. Over 1,100 schools in the country have Capstone in effect. Adelyn Moore, who takes AP Seminar as a junior at La Cueva, describes the class as “new and impactful; however, it is probably the best class I took my junior year”.

  When talking about class content, Moore says that “we learned about analyzing sources, writing research papers, and giving presentations. While these things seem fairly simple, Capstone papers are much different than regular essays because there is a bigger focus on building an argument.”

  The elements of the course may ring a bell to students who are familiar with Gifted and Talented. However, Robert Cloutier, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development, assures that “Gifted and Talented will continue as a strong program”. Rather than compete with GT, AP Capstone will compliment the course and “will provide students the great learning experiences of the Gifted and Talented program with the additional benefit of advanced AP recognition”.

  In fact, Capstone was introduced to help students go even farther than the Gifted and Talented Program. “Our goal is to offer opportunities for high-achieving students to delve deeper into their passions to assist them in achieving the college and career aspirations,” says Mr. Cloutier.

  Many students may be hesitant to join such a program. Mr. Cloutier says that AP Capstone can offer “rigor and structure balanced with a great opportunity to deepen their passion for learning.”

  A guidance counselor, Ms. Lattimer, has been especially excited to begin introducing Capstone. She currently has nine of her students signed up for the course, all of which “seem excited about the concept”. She recommends Capstone to any of her students that are currently taking an AP class or are projected to take one. Her favorite aspect of the program is the fact that students receive a certificate after completing the course, which she believes will set them apart from other students. “I’m excited that Eastern continues to progress and adds to its rigorous curriculum and Capstone is just another way of doing that,” she said.

  One student who wasn’t at all hesitant is Kaylee Braidwood. Braidwood, currently a sophomore, heard about the course from her guidance counselor, Mrs. Lattimer, who was intrigued by the class because of the fact that “the class itself is more real life skills and public speaking and academic skills combined into one”. Ms. Lattimer thinks it would be useful for college and after college.

  Kaylee describes herself as someone who works well in groups, a skill that will be important for her as she enters Capstone, due to the courses frequent use of collaborative teamwork. She would like to go into creative writing or political science as a career. She thinks that Capstone will help to prepare her for those fields.

  A class with such high expectations and strong requirements poses the question- what are the benefits on paper? How can a student utilize Capstone to the best of their ability, and how will it pay off in the long run?

 Jennie Sekanics, an admissions counselor at The College of New Jersey, assures that “rigorous courses are exactly what we want to see on a student’s transcript! So honors, AP, IB, Capstone, college credit courses, etc. demonstrate the student’s passion for the subjects they are studying and dedication to the hard work needed to excel in these high level courses”. When it comes time to apply to higher education, admissions officers look for high level classes, like Capstone.

  Capstone is also perhaps the best taste of college work that one can get in high school. The program is based around research, collaborative teamwork, and investigation. Not to mention the formidable 5,000 word research paper requirement, similar to the intensity of most college papers. Adelyn Moore said that “Capstone is important because the papers you write are very similar to those in college, meaning that this program has already started to help me prepare for college and making writing papers much easier.”

  However, Capstone does not only help to enhance writing skills. “It allows me to improve my presentation and speaking skills throughout all my classes in high school and in speech and debate,” said Moore. The program touches on so many different skills that it can become extremely beneficial for other higher-level high school courses.

   The ideal Capstone student would be a student “committed to achieving success in the many AP courses offered at Eastern,” according to Mr. Cloutier. Students need to enter the class prepared for a thought-provoking, time-consuming class.

  Students that fulfill the 4 AP class requirement will be encouraged to take Capstone as well in the coming years. Guidance counselors can provide more information.