For three Abilene High seniors, AP Capstone became a class that met each of them in a different way. For Alice Anne Riley, it sharpened an interest that led her toward a future in speech, language, and hearing sciences. For Emily Brumley, it deepened questions that helped confirm what she wants to study in college. For Ethan Barriga, it strengthened the kind of writing and analysis he knows will stay with him as he heads to the University of Texas.
At Abilene High, AP Capstone gives students the chance to do the kind of work that usually comes much later. They are not working through made-up topics or prepackaged assignments. Instead, they choose something they genuinely want to explore, dig into the research, figure out what is still unknown, and build a project of their own around it. By the end, they have written a 5,000 word research paper and defended their findings before a panel.
For teacher James McGee, that is what makes the class so unique.
“This is extremely student-driven and student-selected,” McGee said. “Nothing is simulated. It is all real.”
This year, that work helped guide Alice Anne Riley, Emily Brumley, and Ethan Barriga as they prepared for their next steps.
Riley will attend the University of Texas and major in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. Her project focused on augmentative and alternative communication devices, the limitations surrounding them, and possible solutions. She said the course helped prepare her for college-level work and even influenced her choice of major.
“It has immersed me in what college classes are like,” Riley said. “No other class has given me this opportunity.”
Brumley is headed to Tarleton State University to study Kinesiology and Psychology. Her research on mental disorders and associated therapies helped confirm the direction she wants to take in college and beyond.
Barriga will attend the University of Texas at Austin and major in English. Although his AP Capstone project was STEM-focused, he said the writing and analysis in the course were what stayed with him most.
“Mr. McGee does an excellent job at making sure we revise and critique our own writing, and it has prepared me for the level of rigor that will be expected of me at UT,” Barriga said.
McGee described this year’s group as hardworking and brilliant, adding that AP Capstone gives students the chance to do something few high schoolers ever experience: create knowledge of their own.
For Riley, Brumley, and Barriga, AP Capstone became a class that helped clarify what interested them, challenge what they wanted to explore, and prepare them for their next steps.