Media release from Rome, GA City Schools:
The red carpet stretched down the hall ending in a large balloon arch. Hanging from the ceiling were a multitude of stars in different colors each signifying a score received on an Advanced Placement Test. The gold, silver, and red stars aren’t just for decorations, each one bears the name of a Rome High Student who earned a score of three or higher on an AP test.
On Thursday afternoon, several students gathered on the red carpet and received their High 5 Medals. These students scored a five on at least one AP test last school year. All students taking AP classes received some treats during the school day, but this special group of students gathered on the red carpet to get their medals and take photos.
ELA Teacher Amanda Howell handed the medals out, and Rome High Principal Parke Wilkinson stood in front of the balloon arch with a big smile on his face ready to take a photo with each medalist.
“These kids work so hard to be successful with their academics. It’s a thrill to see them so happy with the results they’ve gotten because of their hard work. This isn’t something that just happens. They work really hard for this, so it’s always great to see. They are great representatives of our school,” Wilkinson said.
The group was all smiles when posing with their principal and when the entire group got together for a photo.
“Being able to celebrate these students is awesome. It makes me proud just to say I get to see the students every day. Their teachers are proud of them. We are proud of them, and it’s great to see their success.”
This school year, Rome High has more than 450 students enrolled in AP courses. Last school year, 317 Rome High students took 615 AP Tests, and 104 earned college credit for their test scores. All told, 255 students scored a three, four, or five on those tests last year.
The Rome High students who earned a five on at least one AP test include Luke Gulledge, Kamran Bawa, Asher Cochran, Noah Odgers, Caroline Pippel, Suyasha Rajbahndari, Giuseppe Rutledge, Kennedy Thomas, Rohail Bhaidani, Liliana Cantrell, Valeri Funez-Valdez, Samuel Hard, Aaron Lewis, Karly Nguyen, Emma Olszanski, Alondra Penaloza De Leon, Annelise Ashley-Pritchett, Alyssa Austin, Delilah Beaston, Madelyn Clowdus, Ahmed Daoud, Natalie Dunay, Isha Garg, Yash Garg, Emerson Hunter, Yasar Kalavant, Nina Mayer, Janna Nguyen, Helena Patteson, Chloe Pullen, Mateo Quintero and Sarah Reeves.
