La Plata High School recently earned a spot on the Advanced Placement (AP) School Honor Roll for the 2023-2024 school year. The school received an award for achieving qualifying levels of AP honor roll metrics in the areas of college culture, credit and college optimization.

Kate Kozicki-Miller, AP language teacher at La Plata High School, has been teaching students there the importance of taking AP classes in high school for more than 14 years. “There has been a lot of pressure to have students take AP classes, to find a subject they feel confident in — or want to grow in — to push themselves, Kozicki-Miller said. “This isn’t just for a grade, it’s for them. We are there for them.”

La Plata received the bronze award through the College Board, a nonprofit organization that supports students in achieving success in college. “The AP School Honor Roll recognizes schools that have done an outstanding job of welcoming more students to AP courses and supporting them on their path to success in college,” said Trevor Packer, head of the College Board of AP and Instruction.

The school was the only CCPS high school to receive the award for the 2023-2024 school year. “I appreciate that we were recognized for the hard work teachers put in getting students into AP classes,” said La Plata Principal Douglass Dolan. He said the students respect their teachers and he is glad the program is getting the recognition La Plata deserves.

The bronze award means achieving a certain percentage of students in the graduating class who have taken an AP exam at some point in high school, the percentage of students in the graduating class who have scored a three or higher on an AP exam in high school school and the percentage of students in the graduating class who took five or more AP exams in high school, taking at least one exam during their freshman or sophomore year.

Seniors in the program, Addison Sheridan and McKinley Harrol, enjoy the challenge of their AP classes. “I want to get a head start in college and challenge myself to show others that I can do more,” Sheridan said. Harrol said AP classes are based less on the grade a student receives and more on what they learn. “The teachers try to get as close to a college professor as possible,” he said.

For more information about the AP School Honor Roll program through the College Board, visit https://bit.ly/3AutL7n.

About CCPS

Charles County Public Schools provides 27,765 students in grades kindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 38 schools that provide technologically advanced, progressive and high-quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County Public School System does not discriminate in its programs, activities or employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Mike Blanchard, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (Students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (Employees/Adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, PO Box 2770 , La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations, please call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

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