Siegel High School is honored to become the eighth school in the state of Tennessee to receive the AP Capstone program. This innovative diploma program allows students to deeply explore the topics that interest them while developing the analytic, research, problem-solving, and communications skills that colleges seek in their applicants. Capstone students complete a two-year sequence of classes. In year one, students stake AP Seminar and are challenged to evaluate evidence and make logical, fact-based decisions concerning topics from various fields. Success depends on completion of a team project, individual paper and presentation, and a written end-of-course exam. In their second year, students enroll in AP Research. Here, students are given the opportunity to work independently under the guidance of a trained instructor to develop an academic thesis paper on a topic of their choosing. Upon completion, the student must then present and defend their work against a panel of instructors. Through this process, students gain invaluable experience in the sort of highly rigorous research and communication required by college honors programs and graduate work.
AP Capstone joins a roster of 22 additional Advanced Placement courses offered by Siegel High School. Students who complete both AP Seminar and AP Research receive the AP Capstone Certificate. Those who complete AP Seminar, AP Research, and four additional AP courses receive the prestigious AP Capstone Diploma. Students may then submit their scores and thesis to prospective schools to receive advanced research opportunities and even additional hours of credit in recognition of their hard work.
The first cohort of AP Capstone students will begin in the Fall of 2017. The program will be team-taught by Tricia Evans and Ken Mosier. Ms. Evans also teaches AP U.S. Government and AP Human Geography. Mr. Mosier also teaches AP U.S. History, AP Comparative Government and Politics, and Global Diplomacy and currently serves as Siegel Advanced Placement Director.