Thirty-four students at Augusta Preparatory Day School have been named AP Scholars in recognition of their exceptional achievement on Advanced Placement Exams.

The College Board's Advanced Placement Program (AP) provides motivated and academically prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school, and to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. Only about 18 percent of the 1.7 million students worldwide who took AP exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award.

The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on students' performance on AP Exams.

Ten Augusta Prep students qualified for the AP scholar with Distinction designation by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. These students from the class of 2009 are Steven Brown, Caroline Catchpole, Yutong Dong, Chelsea Fechter, Joseph Hall, Laura Lemley, Maryclaire Regan, Matthew Shafer, and Alyson Sheppard. Andrew Ding also earned this designation and is a member of the class of 2010,

Seven students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor designation by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. These students from the class of 2009 are Drew Alexander, Morgan Campbell, Brittany Cropper, Elena Evans, Alexander Kazragis, and current seniors, Christina Hefron and Julian Salazar.

Seventeen students qualified for the AP Scholar designation by completing three or more AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher. The AP Scholars from the class of 2009 include Catherine Abate, Bradley Davis, John Duggan, Jaclyn Frazier, Matthew Giannelli, Binford Griffin, Jennifer Hicks, Jackie Howard, Daniel Hull, Chelsea Kerr, Collier McLeod, Kelley Peel, Catherine Tisler, Jeanette Traver, Robert Yu. Class of 2010 members includes Deema Elchoufi, Daniel Hull, and Alexander Shaw.

Through 37 different college-level courses and exams, AP provides students with the opportunity to stand out in the college admissions process. Each exam is developed by a committee of college and university faculty and AP teachers, ensuring that the exams are aligned with the same high standards expected by college faculty at some of the nation's leading liberal arts and research institutions. AP is accepted by more than 3,600 colleges and universities worldwide. This includes more than 90 percent of four-year institutions in the United States. Research consistently shows that AP students who score a 3 or higher on AP Exams (based on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest) typically experience greater academic success in college and higher graduation rates than students who do not participate in AP.

The College Board is a not-for-profit membership organization whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 5,600 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves seven million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,800 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning. Among its best-known programs are the SAT, the PSAT and the Advanced Placement Program (AP). The College Board it committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities, and concerns.