Freeport DME

All 31 juniors in David DeSantis’ Advanced Placement World History class at Freeport Senior High School passed the end-of-the-year exam this year, beating the national testing average.

AP exams are scored from 1 to 5. Scores of 3 and higher are considered passing. DeSantis stated that out of the class, 29% received a 5.

Cody Stebbins and Abby Walsh, both 17, are among the students who received the highest score.

The AP program was created by the College Board to offer undergraduate-level curricula to high school students, with national exams taking place in May.

Preparing for the exam involved a mix of practice tests, essay-writing and class debates, the students said. Cody said he enjoyed one particular debate about the Mongolian Empire’s lasting impact, while Abby said she enjoyed learning about the American and French revolutions.

“The debates are definitely the most memorable,” Abby said. “You have to be quick on your feet.”

“I knew everybody coming out of the class was always saying how fulfilling and fun it was despite how hard it was,” Cody said.

Students who pass the AP exam can submit their scores for college credit.

Both Cody, who plans to study electrical and mechanical engineering, and Abby, who intends to pursue broadcast journalism, will submit their scores for college credit.

Cody said he plans to study aerospace engineering in graduate school.

“It’s really far away from AP World History, but it was a really fulfilling class,” he said.