AP students show their stuff
Nearly 300 Advanced Placement (AP) students at Como Park Senior High School took national AP exams in May. More than 600 tests were taken in 20 different AP courses, ranging from U.S. History to Calculus, English Literature to Biology and several other academic disciplines.
Student exams are comprehensive assessments of college-level curriculum, which are evaluated by college professors and highly trained AP teachers from across the nation. Colleges and universities grant credit based on student scores that meet the school’s standards, which has meant hundreds of college credits for Como students annually.
St. Paul College partners with AOF
Sixteen Academy of Finance (AOF) students at Como were participants in a college-credit program in partnership with St. Paul College. By taking business courses within the AOF, students can earn credits from St. Paul College that are transferable to any university or college they attend. The students in the cohort each earned 16 college credits and have been accepted into institutions of higher education for next fall.
Students sing with VocalEssence
VocalEssence, a 50-year-old Twin Cities choral organization, invited the Como Park choirs to participate for a third time in the ¡Cantare! program. Mexican composer Bernardo Feldman directed the singers.
Feldman lives in Los Angeles but came to Como in September to get to know Como’s Chamber Singers and Concert Choir. He returned to L.A. to write music specifically for those singers. In March, he came back to St. Paul to help the musicians, including the Como Orchestra, learn his new piece.
Choir director Carole Whitney and orchestra director Dr. Philip Fried guided the musicians through the challenging material through April and May. The ¡Cantare! concert came together on May 22 after Feldman spent a week preparing the performers for the show at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts in downtown St. Paul.
Honors Night
Students were recognized for outstanding academic performances, service awards and athletic recognition at Como’s Honors Night May 29. College scholarships were announced, including the Wallin Scholarships, Como Park Schultz Scholarships, the Hiway Federal Credit Union Scholarship and the Fred Kaiser Awards for outstanding student athletes, which included scholarships for the first time courtesy of the Rice St. Athletic Club.
Another school year comes to an end
The flurry of activity at the end of the school year included Prom on May 19 at the J.J. Hill Library in downtown St. Paul, the annual senior barbecue on June 1 at school, the graduation ceremony June 6 at Roy Wilkins Auditorium and the annual all-night senior party at the school. The party, which featured a wide range of activities and free food in a safe, fun environment, is always a wonderful way to celebrate the end of the students high school journey.
