TESTIMONIALS

AP ALUMNI TESTIMONIALS

My name is Jacob Omorodion, a Canadian Citizen, a resident of Newmarket, an MBA graduate and a happily married father of four children. I am honoured to be able to write a little abstract about the York Catholic District School Board PACE program (Program for Academic and Creative Extension). I presently have a son in the grade 12 PACE program at Sacred Heart Catholic High School and two older children who also went through the program at the same school.

The program through proper entrance testing done by YCDSB is structured for students who can handle the extra workload. The school in collaboration with the student and parents prepares an IEP (Individual Education Plan) for each student every year. The PACE program creates an environment where succeeding through hard work and critical thinking is encouraged. Students of like minds and intellectual standards are placed together, which creates a synergetic effect in development and learning amongst the collective body of students. I feel the students in the program are positively pushed and nurtured to reach their full potential. In discussions with my children who have passed through and my child who is currently in the program, I am always surprised and impressed with their reasoning abilities. The program definitely improved their drive, intellectual curiosity and an overall sense of purpose. They seem to have this insatiable appetite for knowledge and are always researching. One thing I know the program has instilled in them is that there is nothing they can’t achieve with proper focus and hard work.

The PACE program prepares students for an easy transition into the rigorous academic expectation of university programs. My oldest child Jacklyn recently graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from McMaster University (summa cum laude) in Molecular Biology and Genetics. Her goal is to become a Medical Doctor. My other son Jacob Jr. is studying Political Science at McGill University. In his last year at SHCHS he took the AP exams and got distinction in all 5 courses taken, which lead to a year’s exemption at McGill. He is now going to be able to finish a four year political science program in three years. He is planning on going to Law School upon completion of his bachelor’s program. The PACE program played a huge role in their successes so far.

I would like to use this medium to say thank you to the immediate PACE teachers, the principals and the school board. The PACE program is a big plus to our school system, which is leading to a better educated populace and a better Canada for us all.

Sincerely,

Jacob A. Omorodion

Paula Andrea Vargas Toro: Sacred Heart Class of 2019

Since graduating, what has been the greatest benefit of taking AP courses?

The greatest benefit I have received from AP is University preparation. The jump from the twelfth grade to first year was very smooth for me because of AP. I was already used to the fast paced learning environment and had found what strategies worked best for me. I was able to develop confidence in my academic work and speak to professors. Another huge benefit came from taking AP exams. As a psychology specialist at the University of Toronto, I was able to skip my introduction to psychology courses. This not only saved me on the cost of tuition, it saved me time too. I was able to go straight into second year courses. I got the equivalent of three course credits transferred from my AP exams to my first year (one from psychology and two from biology). This saved me $1800 worth of courses, and that does not include the books and the extra tuition fees of another semester at the University.

Can you identify the top three skills (e.g. learning, academic, life, personal) that the AP program taught you?

AP taught me many things. The most important has been to be confident in my work. I learned to work towards things that I would be proud of so that I would never doubt myself. Another important lesson was to set goals for myself. To be successful in life you have to believe in yourself and make plans for yourself. Being able to form concrete and achievable goals will allow you to keep growing as a person and get yourself to a place where you feel proud and accomplished.

In your opinion, what top three personal attributes are necessary to achieve success in AP?

Hard work and dedication are essential to success in AP. Being able to follow through with your goals, both academic and personal, allow you to succeed. Perseverance is another important attribute. You will encounter many challenges within AP. Finally, willingness to learn, not just in the academic sense, in general. Learning from your mistakes, peers, and teachers is important to your development as a student. AP courses allowed me to develop a work ethic that continued into my undergraduate studies. It also allowed me to explore my interests and figure out what I wanted to do in my undergrad.

Maiya Bertola: Sacred Heart Class of 2018

About Me

Maiya Bertola
Sacred Heart Class of 2018
McMaster University, 3rd Year Honours Social Psychology with Applied Behaviour Analysis Certificate

Benefits of AP Courses

In Grade 12, AP courses are pretty similar to first year university courses.I still use my notes from Grade 12 AP Psychology in some of my third year university courses to refresh my memory on certain concepts. Having the background knowledge is also really helpful when I’m studying because in some cases I can entirely skip sections of content that I know so well from high school.
Because the curriculum is so rigorous, the teachers are able to bring an extra level to your learning experience which is really amazing.

Benefits of AP Exams

I scored high enough on the AP Psychology exam to earn a transfer credit at McMaster, that means I went into first year already with a university elective complete. I chose to use this in my first semester at Mac, so I only took 4 courses instead of the standard 5 which made the transition a lot easier, and also saved the tuition cost for one course.

Memorable AP Moments

One of my favourite things about the AP program was that the same people were in all of the AP classes. My friends from AP are still my close friends now even though we all go to different universities. We still see each other when we’re all home from school. Lifelong friendships!
In Grade 9 AP geography we went on a two night overnight trip. It was a really great bonding experience for us all to get to know each other and that’s where I got to know one of my best friends from high school.
In Grade 10 AP history our teacher had us complete a day in the life of a WWI soldier as an assignment. We went outside in costume and ate the food that soldiers would have eaten, did the drills they would have done, and I think it helped us all understand what we were learning so much better.

All of the AP teachers at Sacred are amazing. Classes were always fun and I honestly remember having a good time in my AP classes!

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