Seven MITIS students bagged the Advanced Placement (AP) Scholar Awards as a result of their outstanding performance during the May 2020 AP examinations amid the COVID-19 pandemic that forced schools shut for months since the early part of this year. This recognition is made even more special as for the first time in its history, AP exams were administered online around the world and students took them at the same time breaking time zone barriers.
Kim Jiwon (Donna) of Grade 11 was awarded the AP Scholar Award with Distinction for garnering an average score of 4.88 out of 5 in 8 different subjects. She took 5 subject tests last May namely Chemistry, English Language and Composition, Physics 2, Psychology, and World History: Modern, in which she got the highest AP score of 5. But she shared that the road to this success was not easy. “[The] time zone difference that forced us to take the exams in the middle of the night, especially because I’m a type of person who just can’t stay wide awake past midnight,” was a challenge in this year’s exam according to her. Nevertheless, she did her best to overcome the difficulties of the new exam format. “ I read textbooks that dealt with the fundamental concepts and timed myself while answering the Free Response Questions that were provided by the College Board and my AP teachers,” she shared. She also believes that the support that the school and her AP teachers were instrumental to what she has achieved in AP thus far.
Meanwhile, Maria Sophia T. Alipit and Lee Byung Ho (Sam) both got the AP Scholar Award with Honor. After 3 years of taking AP subjects in MITIS, Sophia, Batch 2020’s valedictorian, garnered an average score of 3.25 in 8 different subject tests. She acquired an average score of 3.5 this school year after taking AP Calculus AB and AP Chemistry exams. On the other hand, Sam acquired an average score of 3.25 in 4 exams he took this year namely Biology, Calculus AB, Chemistry, and Psychology.
Lastly, Ezekiel Kyle M. Blanco (Grade 11), Matthew Allan Francis A. Gibbs (Grade 11), Iona Violeta A. Gibbs (Batch 2020’s STRIPES Awardee), and Anagha Menon (Grade 11) were all awarded with AP Scholar awards for getting an average score higher than 3 in at least 3 AP tests.
MIT International School takes pride in the achievement of its AP learners who received the AP Scholar Awards this school year despite the pandemic prompting the shift to online delivery of learning since early March. The school administration headed by Mr. Dae Kwan Chung extends his greetings and gratitude to the dedicated students, hardworking MITIS AP teachers and supportive parents and guardians who made this success possible.
Since 2010, MITIS has offered the AP Program to Grades 11 and 12 students in various subjects which allowed them to perform well in the examinations and acquire admissions and credits from top performing universities and colleges in the Philippines and abroad. The school has also opened its doors to non-MITIS students so that they can experience the MITIS AP success. Being the school’s flagship program, the administration, faculty, and staff continue to dedicate itself in ensuring the quality, rigor, and relevance of the AP subjects offered.
