The Capstone program is a 2-year class designated to work on students’ research abilities to be successful in their academic career. One of the teachers here at Plant, Susan Vaughn, teaches AP Capstone.
“I like working with students to help them learn the research process and pursue topics that they’re interested in,” Vaughn says.
This shows her love for the Capstone program and her students.
“I chose to teach Capstone because I was interested in the idea of students getting to choose their own topics to research and to be challenged by learning the research process, and I like guiding them through that process,” Vaughn says.
Florida’s Bright Futures Scholarship Program rewards students’ academic achievements during high school by providing funding for them to pursue college or post-secondary educational and career goals in Florida. Recently, students can get Bright Futures through Capstone instead of SAT scores.
“I think it’s a great development and our students here in Florida are very fortunate to have the opportunity to achieve Bright Futures through this new pathway of a Capstone diploma,” Vaughn says. “The Capstone diploma does require so much work and project-based thinking and learning for students. So, I think it’s a great opportunity for the students, and I’m really glad that our Florida students get to benefit from this.”
Plant students can really benefit from this and it’s exciting to have more opportunities to go to a good college.
Capstone has many benefits to the students of Plant.
“I think many students should choose it, but it may not be ideal for everyone. They have to consider the balance of their workload with the rest of their classes. There is a lot of work, so they have to be willing to do the research, writing, and project steps,” Vaughn says. “I think that doing the capstone program will be beneficial to them. So I do think most students should take the challenge of AP Capstone.”
This class is a challenging class but with hard work the Plant students can take it. This class looks great for colleges and universities. It will help prepare students and set them up for success.
When picking classes, current freshmen are deciding whether to take AP Capstone or not.
“I did make a slideshow and a video giving them [sophomores] my thoughts on this and explaining the capstone program. I would tell them to watch that video I posted so they can learn a lot more about it, or I would tell them to come see me if they have any questions,” Vaughn said. “Most importantly, I would say if they’re a student that will work hard, they want to be challenged by learning the skills that are going to be required of them in college. If you have a strong work ethic, you will be successful in Capstone.”
Vaughn explains this class is a great class to take and you will learn very beneficial tips for college.
Link to qualifications for an AP Capstone Award: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/awards-recognitions/ap-capstone-award