"We are beyond proud of our students for earning these incredible AP Capstone honors. This success is a true testament to the endless time, energy, and heart that Ms. Leahy and Ms. Gismonde pour into this program every single year," said Meg Berry, principal at Governor Livingston High School. "It's inspiring to watch our students constantly challenge themselves, not just in Capstone, but in every AP course offered here at GL."
The AP Capstone Program is a two-year College Board sequence, typically taken junior and senior year, that asks students to investigate real-world topics, weigh competing perspectives, conduct independent research and present their findings in writing and in person. Governor Livingston has offered the program since 2017, led from the start by Sharon Leahy, who teaches AP Seminar and Social Studies, and Lindsey Gismonde, who teaches AP Research and English. This year the school has 30 students enrolled in AP Seminar and 21 in AP Research.
In AP Seminar, the first-year course, students choose their own real-world or academic topics and build skills in reading and evaluating studies, judging source credibility, public speaking and multimedia presentation. "I think the course provides students with a great opportunity to perfect their academic skills, and it's truly amazing how much progress all of the students make by the end of the year," Leahy said, citing a student reflection: "You are going to be amazed at how much you can actually accomplish this year."
AP Research, the second-year course, has students develop their own research question and carry out a yearlong independent study, capped by a formal academic paper and presentation. "During Year 2 of the Capstone program, Research, students have the opportunity to really take ownership of their learning," Gismonde said. "It's exciting to watch students move from being consumers of information to becoming researchers themselves." She added that watching students grow into that independence and confidence over the year is one of the most rewarding parts of teaching the course, and that graduates often say the skills carried over directly into college coursework.
Students are identified for the program as sophomores, based on academic rigor and achievement, AP Potential scores, standardized test performance and teacher recommendations, and begin AP Seminar in the fall of junior year. Those who complete both courses with a 3 or higher in each, but don't meet the four-additional-exam requirement, earn the AP Seminar and Research Certificate instead of the full Diploma.
Dr. Millenni Basumatary, supervisor of English, media and music, credited both students and teachers for the work behind the results. "There is a lot of hard work that goes into AP Capstone from both our students and teachers," Basumatary said. "We are excited for them to take the skills they have developed with them into whatever they choose to do after high school."
