The John Carroll School is just the second independent school—and only Catholic school—in Maryland to offer the AP Capstone Diploma, and these incoming freshmen will be the first class eligible to graduate with that prestigious distinction.
On Sunday, March 19, faculty and administration of The John Carroll School hosted a welcome lunch for its first group of Carroll Scholars, incoming freshmen who qualified for the new Archbishop John Carroll Scholarship Program. These students will be the first in the school—and the first in any Catholic school in Maryland—to be eligible to graduate with the AP Capstone Diploma, a new distinction from the CollegeBoard.
Based on High School Placement Test scores in the 90th percentile and a strong academic and testing record in middle school, prospective Carroll Scholars were hand-picked from hundreds of applicants, then invited to apply to the brand new scholarship program. Applicants were required to undergo a rigorous screening process that included a personal interview and essay, and 27 students from the class of 2022 were ultimately accepted into the prestigious program and awarded the school’s highest merit-based scholarship.
Enrolled Carroll Scholars may elect to take two unique AP courses, AP Seminar and AP Research, yearlong courses that, according to the CollegeBoard, “focus on developing the critical thinking, research, collaboration, time management and presentation skills you need for college-level work.” If students earn a score of three or higher in AP Seminar and AP research, as well as on four additional AP exams of their choosing, they will graduate with the AP Capstone Diploma.
The welcome lunch on March 19 gave this elite group of students an opportunity to meet each other as well as key faculty who will support them during their four years at John Carroll. Students and their families were invited to stay for a matinee performance of Tarzan, presented by the school’s award-winning theater department.
According to John Carroll Principal Tom Durkin, “These students really astounded us with their talent. We initially thought we might have around 15 students who qualified as Carroll Scholars, but after meeting with each of these remarkable young men and women personally, we quickly realized just how deep a pool of bright, highly motivated students we had in our applications. We are very fortunate to have them join the John Carroll family and look forward to seeing what they achieve over the next four years.”
The inaugural group of Carroll Scholars includes:
Samantha Ashton, St. Margaret School
Selona Baker, St. Margaret School
Emily Baranoski, St. Stephen School
Jeremy Biggerman, Bel Air Middle School
Gianna Bullington, St. Joseph School
Chloe Connolly, Bel Air Middle School
Colin DiIorio, St. Joseph School
Abigail Field, St. Joan of Arc School
Jacob Freeland, St. Margaret School
Mark Ghattas, Rising Sun Middle School
Abigail Leslie, Immaculate Conception School
Holden Loader, Tome School
Nathan Gostomski, St. Margaret School
Robert Hauf, North Harford Middle School
Gavin Innes, St. Joseph School.
Annelise Lakatta, St. Joan of Arc School
Rosalie McGuirk, Harford Day School
Blair Mergerian, Harford Day School
Alita Pirozzi, St. Joseph School
London Poist, St. Joseph School
Benjamin Rosensteel, North Harford Middle School
Emma Runyeon, Fallston Middle School
Austin Shorts, Harford Day School
Travis Smith, North Harford Middle School
Max Snellenburg, Fallston Middle School
Steven Snyder, St. Margaret School
Chance Woosley, North Harford Middle School
About The John Carroll School – www.johncarroll.org
The John Carroll School is a Catholic, coeducational, college-preparatory high school where every student is known and valued. Through innovative practices and curriculum, we prepare students to positively influence a global society as critical thinkers and creative problem solvers while being socially responsible, spiritually centered and morally grounded in our Catholic beliefs.