AP Institute - West Covina High School

The AP Institute program is a rigorous college preparatory program at WCHS for students who are taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses and working towards the AP Capstone Diploma. The program provides an intentional academic pathway as well as a community of AP scholars supported by student mentors and staff advisors working together to foster student learning and success.

The AP Institute program starts your freshman year and prepares you to end your high school career taking our AP Capstone classes: AP Seminar and AP Research.

Recommended: 3.0 GPA and interested in or already enrolled in AP Courses

Acceptance into this AP Institute gives students access to extra resources and support during their four years of high school.

Benefits

Stand out to top tier universities
Be more competitive in the scholarship application process
Earn the prestigious AP Capstone Diploma
Priority registration for classes

Private college consulting opportunities
Develop key college academic skills
Exclusive opportunities with university speakers
College visit trips

API Presentation

Promotional Video

Additional Information

Pathways

AP Institute Support Team

Lauren Brandt
AP Institute Counselor
AP Testing Coordinator
lbrandt@wcusd.org

Sharon Pederson
AP Institute Instructor
AP Seminar Teacher
sharon.pederson@wcusd.org

Dr. Jeremy Spurley
Assistant Principal
Curriculum & Instruction
jspurley@wcusd.org

Paul Gordon
AP Institute Instructor & Advisor
AP Research Teacher
pgordon@wcusd.org

Yadira Frometa
AP Academics Coordinator
AP Spanish Teacher
yfrometa@wcusd.org

Alumni Spotlight

AP Capstone Diploma Recipients

Brandon Lieu - Class of 2019

“As a second year undergraduate, I’ve been able to apply my skills of AP Capstone in two main ways: in a neonatology lab at the Stanford School of Medicine and in my own English coursework. Whether it’s conducting research in a lab or in a classroom, the process is identical to the one you delve into AP Capstone: finding a research gap, adequate methodology, and situating it within the literature.”

STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Zaemelys Ramos - Class of 2018

Alyssa Eberhard - Class of 2018

"My enrollment in AP Capstone helped me to excel in advanced classes that required me to do ethnographic work. So far, I have taken two anthropology courses that required me to complete digital ethnographies. Analytical research, close reading, and interpretation of a text through multiple lenses are some of the skill sets I picked up in AP Capstone that apply to my course work as a literature student."