Promotion of the AP Program at the Alabama School of Fine Arts

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    Administration of the Alabama School of Fine Arts
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    Alumni and Friends of the Alabama School of Fine Arts
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Mr. John Northrop, Executive Director
Ms. Kristy Lundstrom, Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Ms. Pat Taylor, Director of Student Support
The Board of Trustees of the Alabama School of Fine Arts

We, alumni of the Alabama School of Fine Arts, strongly urge the administration of the Alabama School of Fine Arts to continue the tradition of a strong AP program for the current students of the Alabama School of Fine Arts.

We strongly believe that the AP program provides numerous benefits for students including (but not limited to):

(1) Provides an intellectual challenge for students
(2) Promotes reasoning and communication skills
(3) Enables deeper exploration of subject material
(4) Builds a stronger foundation for further studies at the undergraduate level

"The mission of the Alabama School of Fine Arts, a community of explorers, is to nurture impassioned students by guiding and inspiring them to discover and fulfill their individual creative abilities in an atmosphere distinguished by the fusion of fact and feeling, risk and reward, art and science, school and community." - Mission Statement

"ASFA strongly emphasizes performance and learning." - from the ASFA website (http://www.asfa.k12.al.us/index.cfm?event=about)

Without an AP program, we believe that ASFA will fail in its mission and lose its identity by not continuing to provide students with every opportunity to challenge themselves both artistically and academically. Please do not make this mistake by ending the strong AP program that ASFA students have enjoyed for decades.

142 Signatures

  • Moneer Helu
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2003
    • Comments
    • В
  • Ankur Shah
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2003
  • Ilya Blokh
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2001
    • Comments
    • Losing the AP curriculum would be a huge blow to both the prestige that ASFA carries and the academic success of ASFA students in college.
  • Michelle Niedergeses
    • Major
    • Math & Science
    • Class Year
    • 2003
  • Brian Kirk
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2002
  • Jessica Smith
    • Major
    • Dance
    • Class Year
    • 2003
    • Comments
    • Eliminating the AP curriculum is one of the most asinine changes ASFA could consider. As another fomer student put it, "it would be disastrous for a school that prides itself on intellectually challenging its students." Instead, ASFA should be focusing on way to get more students interested in the AP curriculum. Encourage education and knowledge, don't hinder it.
  • Jason Nelson
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2002
  • Alexandra Gonzenbach
    • Major
    • Visual Arts
    • Class Year
    • 2003
    • Comments
    • KEEP AP CLASSES!
  • Dani Berry
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2004
  • Miriam Blankenship
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2002
  • Robert Richardson
    • Major
    • Math/Science and Music
    • Class Year
    • 2002
  • Kexuan Wang
    • Major
    • MS
    • Class Year
    • 2001
  • Fan Yang
  • Luke Bidikov
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2004
  • Tia Reynolds
    • Major
    • Music
    • Class Year
    • 2003
    • Comments
    • AP exams helps prepare kids for college and also may help them test out of the 101 version of a class. It can also give college credit if the score is high enough. Don't do away with AP classes.
  • Joanna Bonds
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2004
  • Brian M. Wheeler
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2003
    • Comments
    • First, I can only speak as a former Math/Science student. I attended ASFA from 1998-2003 and still a proud graduate of ASFA. I feel that the AP Curriculum is the most important part of the Math/Science department of ASFA. To remove AP from the curriculum would remove the quality from the Math/Science program and definitely decrease the attractiveness of the program. Being a Math/Science student I directly benefitted from the AP program throughout my undergraduate career and feel that ASFA was the best choice my mother made when deciding on schools for me. Without AP, I believe that M/S department would no longer reach the high quality and standards that the other departments achieve.
  • Zachary Aldewereld
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2002
  • Jake Campbell
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2002
  • Lee Steely
    • Major
    • Creative Writing
    • Class Year
    • 2003
    • Comments
    • AP courses enriched my high school experience, and got me out of college intro courses that would've wasted my time. I'm appalled that this is being considered; students will be put at a tremendous disadvantage.
  • Jenna
    • Major
    • Creative Writing
    • Class Year
    • 2004
    • Comments
    • If ASFA eliminates the AP program it will be making a mistake that will only further the weakening condition it is in today. I constantly hear about changes at ASFA that make it less and less of a place I am proud to call my alma mater.
  • Peilong Cong
    • Major
    • Economics
    • Class Year
    • 2006
    • Comments
    • APs were one of the distinguishing factors that seperated it from other schools. To rid the AP program is insane
  • Zaineb Ahmad
    • Major
    • M/S
    • Class Year
    • 2004
    • Comments
    • В
  • Amit Patel
    • Major
    • Biomedical Engineering
    • Class Year
    • 2009
  • Jonathan Glasco
    • Major
    • Civil Engineering
  • Felicia Williams
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2002
  • Lance J. Collins
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2005
  • Cameron Snowden
    • Major
    • Math and Science
    • Class Year
    • 2004
  • Lindsey Hornbuckle
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2004
    • Comments
    • I doubt I would have been admitted to Princeton, Yale, Williams, Middlebury, Georgetown, etc. without a transcript full of AP classes. I understand the limitations of the AP curriculum, and don't think teachers should "teach to the test;" however, in my experience, ASFA teachers are talented enough to prepare students for the AP exam AND provide a profound understanding of the subject matter.
  • Allison Hamilton
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2004
  • Lauren Stephens
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2005
  • Ruomu Zhang
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2002
  • Krishna Shah
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2002
  • Kelly Bearden
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2004
  • Thomas Osterbind
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2006
    • Comments
    • They're too important. AP availability a large component of what makes a high school worth going to. Its definitely the best thing I got from ASFA
  • Vanisha Yarbrough
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2006
    • Comments
    • В
  • Calvin
  • Jared Usrey
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2006
  • Rachel George
    • Comments
    • AP courses challenge students and put them on a level above other schools. They truly aid in the success of ASFA students in college. ASFA is about following your passions and challenging yourself beyond the curriculums you can receive at a regular school. The mission statement states that ASFA nurtures, guides, and inspires students to take risks in both arts and science. By removing AP classes, you will be removing one of the key parts of the school that allows students to reach these goals. Please do not deny ASFA students to truly challenge themselves and strive to be the best. To fix the issue about certain students not being allowed to take a number of AP courses, the college counselor should take it upon himself to relay to college that ASFA is special and many ways and one of those ways is in the way it offers is AP courses. Thank you
  • Sherrie Fowler
    • Major
    • Math & Science
    • Class Year
    • 2003
    • Comments
    • An AP program is essential for a competitive "magnet" school. Also, colleges look favorably upon students that have taken AP classes. To remove this program is to do a grave disservice to the students.
  • Christopher Busby
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2008
    • Comments
    • This is what makes ASFA, ASFA!
  • Adam Bodine
    • Major
    • Visual Arts
    • Class Year
    • 2004
  • Maggie Page
    • Major
    • dance
    • Class Year
    • 2003
  • Pratik Talati
    • Major
    • Chemistry, Mathematics
    • Class Year
    • Class of 2006
    • Comments
    • В
  • Angelica Trumer
    • Major
    • Math/Science
    • Class Year
    • 2005
    • Comments
    • AP was one of the best preparations I had for college! I couldn't be where I am (on my way to a Pharmacology PhD program in the fall) without that background! Please don't let AP courses go!
  • Jonathan Chesney
    • Major
    • math/science
    • Class Year
    • 2001
    • Comments
    • В
  • Jia Zhang
    • Major
    • CS
    • Class Year
    • 2010
    • Comments
    • Please keep AP courses. They make a difference.
  • Seraj Helu
    • Major
    • Mechanical Engineering
    • Class Year
    • 2005
    • Comments
    • Absurd
  • Daniel Hall
    • Major
    • Math & Science
    • Class Year
    • 2004
  • Carolyn Kerchof
    • Major
    • Creative Writing
    • Class Year
    • 2006
    • Comments
    • What a ridiculous idea.