2019-2020

Alexander Central
AP Academy Student Handbook

Alexander Central High School

223 School Drive, Taylorsville, NC 28681
 Table of Contents
Mission Statement and Requirements 3

Course Requirements and Course of Study 4

Service Hours and Probationary Status 5

Academic Integrity 6

Capstone Program 7

Graduation Requirements 8

AP Exam Schedule 9

Exam Scores, Events, Recognition 10

Important Contact Information 11

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Mission Statement

The ACHS AP Academy’s mission is to make AP courses available to a

larger and more diverse group of students by promoting rigorous
coursework and preparation, providing individualized support and
academic counseling to AP students, and maximizing each student’s
access to and ability to achieve success in AP courses in a wide variety
of disciplines.

Requirements

To graduate as an AP Academy student, students must:

● apply and be accepted into the Academy at the end of 8th or 9th
grade year
● successfully complete at least 7 AP courses at Alexander Central
● 10 service hours for every year they are a member of the AP
Academy

AP Academy Application Process

Students need to complete the application for AP Academy by the

specified due date. Application must be completed in full and
submitted to Andrea Robinette or Tiffany Botkins.

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AP Course Requirements

Successful completion of 7 AP Courses is required to graduate with AP

Academy distinction. Successful completion is defined as earning a “C”
or above. Two of these requirements can be fulfilled through dual
enrollment offerings.

Course of Study

Alexander Central offers 13 seated Advanced Placement courses for

students to choose from. All courses are year-long and culminate in a
College Board exam or portfolio during the month of May.

Arts: AP Music Theory

AP Studio Art
English: AP English Language & Composition
AP English Literature & Composition
AP Research
AP Seminar
Mathematics: AP Calculus AB
AP Calculus BC
AP Statistics
Science: AP Biology
AP Chemistry
Social Studies: AP US Government & Politics
AP US History

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AP Service Hour Requirements

Students are required to complete 10 service hours for every year they
are a member of the AP Academy.

● 5 hours must be activities approved or sponsored by the AP

Academy
● Students who have not completed the required 10 hours for a
particular school year must complete remaining hours by October
1st of the following year
● Failure to do so will result in probationary status in the AP
Academy for that school year

Probation Status

Probationary status is a period of time in which the student will be

offered additional support but will not be able to participate in some AP
Academy privileges. These privileges include but are not limited to AP
Academy field trips and special recognitions. The following actions will
result in probationary status:

● Students not meeting the minimum requirements for service

hours within a given school year
● Students not earning a “C” or higher for their final grade in any
course
● Students who are in violation of the academic integrity policy

Students who are on probation for academic reasons will be required to

meet with an AP Academy appointed advisor at least once every 2
weeks until the end of the school year unless otherwise designated by
advisor.

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Academic Integrity

As an AP Academy student, you will be expected to maintain the

highest academic integrity. ACHS AP Academy students are expected to
refrain from stealing, lying, and cheating on academic work.

● Stealing is the intentional taking of any property without right or

permission.
● Lying is intentional misrepresentation of any form.
● Cheating is any practice, method, or assistance, whether explicitly
forbidden or unmentioned, that involves any degree of
dishonesty, fraud, or deceit.
● Cheating includes plagiarism, which is representing another's
ideas or words as one's own.

Students will be expected to adhere to the following honor code:

"On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized

assistance regarding this work, nor will I permit it to be done by others
if within my power to prevent."

Students who are caught in violation of academic integrity policy will

not receive credit for work accomplished through dishonesty. In
addition, the parents will be notified and, as appropriate, will be
required to meet with the teacher and principal or administrative
designee. Such students may also jeopardize their standing in
extracurricular activities, honor societies, and other organizations
pursuant to the by-laws of such organizations.

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Capstone Program

Beginning in Fall 2019, Alexander Central High School will offer AP

Capstone. Capstone is centered around 2 courses: Seminar and
Research. The College Board describes the program as “an
interdisciplinary approach to develop critical thinking, research,
collaboration, time management, and presentation skills students need
for college level work”. These courses will be taken in conjunction with
AP Language and Composition as 11th graders and AP English Literature
as 12th graders.

Capstone Certificate and Diploma

Students in the AP Academy will be eligible to graduate with either a

Capstone Certificate or a Capstone Diploma. In order to graduate with
a Certificate, students must successfully pass AP Seminar and AP
Research with a score of 3 or higher. Students who successfully pass AP
Seminar, AP Research, AND four additional exams with a 3 or higher will
graduate with a Capstone Diploma. These distinctions will make AP
Academy students highly competitive during the college admissions
process.

Support Services

Students within the Academy will have access to different levels of

support. These will include specialized Seminar groupings and lessons
within, as well as opportunities to develop relationships as a mentor
and mentee.

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North Carolina Graduation Requirements

Subject Area Requirements

English 4 Credits – English I, II, III, and IV
Mathematics 4 Credits – Math I, II, III, and a
fourth of the student’s choice
Social Studies 4 Credits – World History,
American History I and II, and
Civics & Economics
Science 3 Credits – Environmental Science,
Biology, and a physical science
Health & Physical Education 1 Credit – Health & PE
Fine Arts 1 Credit – Band, Chorus, or Visual
Arts (local requirement)
Cluster Electives 4 Credits – four courses from a CTE
cluster, NJROTC, Fine Arts, or
Academic areas
Additional Electives 7 Credits – can be any courses
offered that are not already
required for graduation
Total 28 Credits
Foreign Language 2-3 Credits – Not required to
graduate, but required for
admission to most 4 year colleges
and universities

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2019-2020 AP Exam Schedule

Week 1 Morning 8am Local Afternoon 12pm Local

Mon. May 4, 2020 US Government & Politics Physics C: Mechanics

Tues. May 5, 2020 Calculus AB German Lang. & Culture

Calculus BC Human Geography

Wed. May 6, 2020 English Literature and European History

Composition Physics 2: Algebra based

Thurs. May 7, 2020 Chemistry Japanese Lang. & Culture

Spanish Lit. & Culture Physics 1: Algebra based

Fri. May 8, 2020 US History Art History

Computer Science A
AP 2-D Art & Design and 3-D Art & Design - last day for
coordinators to submit digital portfolios (by 8pm EST) and to
gather 2-D Art & Design students for physical portfolio assembly.

Week 2 Morning 8am Local Afternoon 12pm Local

Mon. May 11, 2020 Biology Chinese Language

Environmental Science

Tues. May 12, 2020 Seminar Latin

Spanish Lan. & Culture Psychology

Wed. May 13, 2020 English Language & Microeconomics

Composition Music Theory

Thurs. May 14, 2020 Comparative Gov. & Italian Language & Culture
Politics Macroeconomics
World History - Modern

Fri. May 15, 2020 Computer Science Prin. Statistics

French Language & Culture

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AP Exam Scores

AP Exam scores are based on a scale from 1-5, with 5 being the highest.
A score of 3 is the minimum requirement to be “qualified” to receive
college credit, but some institutions require higher scores. It is the
responsibility of the student to determine what their college of interest
requires for credit. Credit policies can be searched at the AP Credit
Policy webpage.

*Beginning in Fall 2019, all members of the UNC Public School System
will recognize a score of 3 for credit.

Special Events for AP Academy

One goal of the ACHS AP Academy is to prepare the whole student for
success after high school. We will plan several special events including:

● Freshmen/Sophomore Year: College Visits

● Junior Year/Senior Year: Possible field trips include camping,
swimming at Carrigan Farms, Raleigh, or Washington, DC.

In addition, Juniors and Seniors will attend a spring banquet at a

location and time to be determined.

Recognition

AP Academy students will be recognized for their commitment to

academic rigor and excellence throughout their career and will receive
a medal at graduation.

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Important Contact Information
Alexander Central High School, 223 School Drive, Taylorsville, NC 28681
Phone: (828) 632-7063

Gordon Palmer – Principal x2310

gpalmer@alexander.k12.nc.us
Andrea Robinette – Asst. Principal x2302
arobinette@alexander.k12.nc.us
Austin Allen – Counselor x2322
aallen@alexander.k12.nc.us
Natasha Smith – Counselor (9th grade) x2225
nsmith@alexander.k12.nc.us
Lindsay Cox x2201
lcox@alexander.k12.nc.us
Tasha Haas – Teacher x2101
nhaas@alexander.k12.nc.us
Klara Higgins - Teacher x2120
khiggins@alexander.k12.nc.us
Robbin Isenhour Stewart x2206
rstewart@alexander.k12.nc.us
Melissa Pierce – Teacher x2223
mpierce@alexander.k12.nc.us
Bill Vinson – Teacher x2220
bvinson@alexander.k12.nc.us
Patrick Watkins – Teacher x2150
wwatkins@alexander.k12.nc.us
Josh Williamson x2126
jwilliamson@alexander.k12.nc.us
Ed Wills – Teacher x2103
ewills@alexander.k12.nc.us

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