AP Summer Workshop

Most students at T.C. Williams will be at the beach or on vacation during the summer, however there are some students who will be here at T.C. for the AP Summer Workshop put together by Ms. Kiyak, an AP English teacher, and Ms. Hammond, an AP US History teacher. Their goal for their potential AP students is to get a jumpstart for their AP classes next year. The AP Summer Workshop has increased its enrollment from having 185 students last year, to over 200 students expected to attend this year. The AP Summer Workshop is a two-day event for all up-and-coming sophomores, juniors, and seniors taking an AP class next year. The first day of the workshop includes team building exercises and demo lessons within the AP community. “The expectations are really clear from the beginning, they know what they are going to be studying that year,” says Kiyak. The second day of the workshop includes a field trip to the Vietnam memorial, where students will be able to see American history and get a jumpstart on the AP US History Summer Assignment. The second field trip is to George Washington University, where students will get an opportunity to speak with admissions representatives and ask questions about college and the application process. “Since this is AP we are trying to get kids prepared for college,” Kiyak says. “The purpose of the AP Summer Workshop is [to have] students become acquainted with their AP teacher,” says Kiyak. In late August, the 200+ students will be coming into school for the workshop sometime in late August. What student can expect from the first day of the workshop is: “A day of AP skill building, we want students to build the foundation for their work ethic that they are going to be facing next year,” said Kiyak. “It helped me improve my study skills and helped me prepare for AP, I knew what to expect,” says sophomore Ayzha Ward, who attended last year’s AP Summer Workshop. When asked about some of the exercises that were done last summer at the workshop she answered, “We did group work and activities about things like note taking and using shorthand, I suggest that most students taking an AP, should do this workshop. It really helps you out more than you know.”