On May 20, CKHS’ AP Research students presented their projects and earned their AP Capstone diplomas during the annual symposium. The event took place in the Performing Arts Center and presentations were set up outside in the hall. Parents, family, and school board members gathered to celebrate the students’ achievements.

“I was really impressed that so many of them tonight, you could see they knew their projects so well because they were able to present without notes and just talk about what they had done,” School Board Director Denise Tracy said.

The event started at 5:00 with AP Research teacher Katherine Miller giving a speech on the class and its students’ achievements. Each student then presented their projects in the PAC and set up information booths to further express their research. Snacks were provided near the booths and the event lasted until 7:00.

“I find it really interesting every year to see what the research topics are, because they cover a lot,” Tracy said. “This year we had one that was very biology heavy, and then more history, journalism. Just the wide array of topics I find interesting every year.”

The AP Research class allows students to do in depth research on the topic of their choice, while learning presentation skills. These projects take months to create and often include information from studies done across the world. Some students make interviews and create surveys to prove or debunk their thesis.

“In raw numbers, over the past two years AP Capstone graduates have completed: four research papers, two team presentations, two individual presentations, one end-of-course exam with no multiple choice section, and one year-long academic research project that culminated in a 5,000 word research paper and an in-depth presentation and oral defense of their projects,” Miller said in her opening speech during the symposium.

Some information required to prove a student’s thesis can be hard to acquire. In fact, multiple of the presentations at the symposium were unable to gain enough information to prove their hypothesis, making their projects inconclusive. The lack of information was mainly because of the challenge to connect with sources, but all things considered, AP Research students stated that they appreciated and were very fond of the class.

“It was really hard to get a hold of school administrative people not only in Washington state but outside as well and also getting students to actually answer the questions correctly and fully,” research student Jazmyn Budke said.

Students joined the class for a number of reasons, but for Kai Livingston and Li-Mei Co, part of that was the class’s infamy of project building. Other students like Budke joined for the diploma, as it takes more time to complete than others. Co also joined the class knowing Miller would be teaching it.

“Mrs. Miller as a teacher is the best,” Co said. “She is extremely supportive and extremely organized, which has helped research countless times. Without her calendar and her constant reminding of deadlines, we wouldn’t get this done.”

For students like Co, the best part of AP Research is working with other research students. From peer-reviewing each other’s essays, to helping each other on projects, Co felt that they would likely have not achieved their diplomas without being together. 

“I think my favorite part has been the collaborative work style between all of the researchers,” Co said. “I think we’ve all gotten really close with helping each other.”

In her speech, Miller commented that not only was the course a way to challenge students, but it also created a sense of community.

“I hope they feel really proud of the work they were able to do and that sense of accomplishment and celebration,” Tracy said.