Students who took an AP exam this school year, whether it was one or five, deserve to be recognized for their achievements. They challenged themselves by taking college-level classes and should be proud of what they have accomplished. For this reason, many students were disappointed this year that there was no AP picnic or AP t-shirts, which students who took an AP exam last year did receive.

   This year, the school’s Honors/AP committee was ready to have a celebration, and even made it part of the Honors/AP Action Plan, which is a part of the larger School Improvement Plan. However, the AP committee, consisting of AP teachers, was apparently not on the same page as the school administration when it came to planning the celebration and so when it came time to actually hold a meeting to discuss the picnic in detail, there was neither enough time nor available money to throw a party

   But all these reasons don’t add up and only amount to excuses. The College Board gives the school $8 per AP exam. Because students at Sherwood took more than 1,600 AP tests this past May, the school received more than $10,000 in rebates. Yet, there somehow wasn’t enough money for a party or gifts (even something less costly than t-shirts) for the very students who took the exams that earned the school that money. Beyond that, how does the school lose sight of planning an event that is intended for 800 students, which is more than a third of the student body?
  So, in the end, there was no AP picnic for the students who had expected it. It is true that rewards at the end of the year should not be the primary reason for taking an AP course, but a little recognition wouldn’t have been so bad. But then again, could expecting rewards, even small ones, be a sign that students are expecting too much for doing little?

    At Olney Elementary School’s recent field day events, there were kids whose natural ability at sports and competition shined while there were others who were not so gifted in those areas or were disinterested in physical activities. But at the end of the day, when all the events are done and the kids are going home, they all carry a green ribbon. This ribbon signifies that the child carrying it participated in  field day (showed up to school) and that they got a reward, regardless of their outstanding achievement or lack thereof.

   This mentality is wrong. Kids are being shown that it doesn’t matter whether they put in effort or not, and that they will be rewarded in the end and held in the same regard as those who went above and beyond.

    This is why there should have been a celebration for students taking AP classes. No, it’s not for AP students to rub it in their peers’ face, but to show them that they did do extra in their academics.       

  Congratulations to all those who took an AP exam. You didn’t get your party and that was wrong, but look back and realize that the party wasn’t the ultimate goal and that the best rewards are yet to come.