Our school is helping all students develop the World Class Skills of the Profile of the SC Graduate by supporting Critical Thinking and Creativity as outlined below:
Exceptional results in achieving world class skills are supported by numerous academic achievements, such as 26 seniors (Class of 2018) named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists, 14 NMSQT scholarship winners,100% of students passing EOC exams, an average ACT composite score of 30.0, and SAT combined average score of 1395. For the class of 2019, 20 National Merit Semifinalists were named and ALL were National Merit Scholarship winners. All students in 2018-19 also passed EOC exams. In May 2018, 438 students took 1,348 AP exams, with a 96% pass rate of 3 or higher. Another record was set with 1,372 exams taken by 450 students in May 2019 with a 98% pass rate.
Graduates of the Class of 2019 report nearly $13 million in scholarship awards. These graduates will attend some of the best colleges and universities in South Carolina, the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, and Australia. We will have Raptors at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Duke, Vassar, Johns Hopkins, Rice, University of Chicago, University of Virginia (among others), and of course, Carolina and Clemson! We are proud that we will also have a member of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Students routinely compete in national academic competitions, are published in national journals, and participate in prestigious research grants. A sophomore's project to bring clean water to his parents’ hometown in Bangladesh won first place at the SC Department of Defense Junior Science and Humanities Symposium in Columbia, and he won third place in the international competition. The AMHS Robotics Team won the regional Nanoline competition with an underwater rover developed after seeing first-hand the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Florence in 2018. The team then won first place (out of 275 competitors) in the Engineering Processes category International Sea Perch competition in May 2019. The Science Olympiad team won the 2019 state finals, and teacher Katy Roop was awarded Outstanding Coach. AMHS students also achieve recognition in the arts. A Senior’s poem, “Self-Portrait of a Dying Canary,” won a National Gold Medal in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, and was selected as a commended poem in the 2018 Foyle Young Poets of the Year awards. In addition, 11 AMHS students qualified for the National History Day Competition. AMHS placed first in Level III Quest and won the CCSD Academic Bowl.
AMHS students compete in 3A boys’ and girls’ varsity athletics including football, cross-country, swimming, tennis, track, soccer, lacrosse, baseball, golf, basketball, volleyball, and competitive cheer. AMHS teams routinely compete at the highest levels, and student-athletes are named to all-state and all-region teams. To date, the wrestling team is the Region champion. Nine AMHS students have committed to playing sports in college, including the University of Vermont, Harvard, and the University of South Carolina. Two of our student athletes were named Gatorade SC Players of the Year. One broke a 30-year state record by running the 3200m in 8 minutes 54.68 seconds.
Our students have logged over a thousand hours of community service this year. We have students involved in running charitable foundations as well as raising money for and visiting children and schools both locally and overseas to address literacy and poverty, including countries such as Uganda and Guatemala.
In 2018-19, AMHS began the AP Capstone program that replaces the junior and senior year coursework for thesis. All G11 students are enrolled in the AP Seminar course and will continue with AP Research as seniors. Students will now get AP credit for thesis preparation, research, and presentation in AP Seminar (G11) and AP Research (G12) courses. All students will prepare and present a thesis under AP guidelines and timelines with both an AMHS teacher advisor, mentor, and the external evaluation of College Board. Students and faculty report a very positive experience with the AP Capstone program; we are certain that AMHS students will be highly successful and even more prepared for university.
Given all these student activities and achievements, it is no surprise that AMHS continues to be ranked #1 in South Carolina, and we have been recognized as one of America’s most challenging high schools by such prestigious publications as the US News and World Report, The Washington Post, and Business Insider. For 2019, US News and World Report ranked AMHS number 1 in the nation among 17,000 ranked schools. All of these successes are supported by the combined efforts of students, teachers and staff, parents, and the community. The SIC has worked closely all year with PIE (Partners in Education) and AMF (Academic Magnet Foundation) to address school needs and support future initiatives to propel our students to even greater heights.
Our efforts toward the world class skills of Collaboration and Communication are also realized through the following:
Peer Mentoring Program: This program was created to ease the transition for incoming AMHS students. Under the leadership of Kristen Odel and the 2018 SIC, the program recruited and trained 28 students to work in small groups and one-on-one with entering 9th graders. The mentoring curriculum included time and stress management, developing effective study skills, preparing for midterms and finals, getting involved with sports and clubs, and finding a group of supportive friends. Peer mentors also planned a few social events. In 2019, Peer Educators from the College of Charleston will partner with AMHS Mentors to assist with training and planning and to provide ongoing professional development.
Summer Scholars Program: The Summer Scholars Program for 2018, with financial support from parent groups and several community sponsors, was a four-day program for incoming 9th grade students and included academic awareness sessions, team building activities, and summer fun activities. Incoming students are introduced to the Peer Mentoring program and engage in a variety of activities with their Mentors. The program has been instrumental in reducing stresses associated with high school unknowns and in building confidence and new friendships.
In the spring of 2018, AMHS was one of four schools nationwide to receive a 2-year $100,000 grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to strengthen access and opportunity for high-achieving, low income students in consideration of admission to AMHS. Known as the ACE Scholars, nearly 30 students in grades 7 and 8 were targeted for intense support and socialization. Ten of thirteen Grade 8 students qualified for admission to AMHS in 2019, and transition support will be ongoing for their success.
Professional Development: This year AMHS partnered with parent groups to send teachers to national conferences to learn and share best practices in the areas of science, math, social studies, and English. In addition, teachers received extensive training to implement the new AP Capstone program. This training continues annually to ensure that all departments have representation and ownership in the research and thesis process, a cornerstone of AMHS success.
Fundraising Initiatives: Support for AMHS, its students and faculty, and support for activities/events requires a commitment of time and resources, and this year the coalition of parent groups worked together on fundraising activities. PIE/AMF fundraising provides teachers with funds for PD, classroom supplies, and curricular materials, provides support for class celebrations and club funding, and enriches diversity efforts by providing matching funds in a national grant to identify, support, and enroll students from diverse communities and backgrounds.
Catherine Spencer, Principal
Lynne Ford, SIC Chair
