LPS students drive academic racecars into winning AP Capstone lanes

August 1, 2025

Twelve Lincoln Public Schools students steered their academic racecars into victory lane this year when they earned major research-based honors.
 
Students from Southeast High School and North Star High School crossed the finish line of the Advanced Placement (AP) Capstone program. Southeast graduates Adam Drayton, Jackson Figard, Simone Gergen, Rebecca Halada, Molly Leyden, Emily Miller, Carolyn Skold and Maizie Stricker and North Star graduate Surah Al-Zubiadi collected the AP Capstone Diploma. Southeast graduates Olivia Bechtel and Charlotte Olenick each pocketed the AP Seminar and Research Certificate for their academic achievements.
 
The dynamic dozen conducted original college-level research as part of the two-year AP Capstone program, which includes both AP Seminar and AP Research courses. Skold and Stricker said they improved their investigative skills and built a close-knit community at the same time.
 
“My favorite thing about AP Research was having a lot of creative freedom in terms of the direction we wanted our research to go,” Skold said. “I also loved how independent our projects were, yet we got really close as friends throughout the class.”
 
“I enjoyed getting to know the other students with similar academic goals and aspirations,” Stricker said. “It was cool to have a class with them for two years and grow that connection with others who want to challenge themselves academically.”
 
Al-Zubiadi felt having the freedom to deeply explore individual topics helped her in many ways. In addition to sharpening key career traits such as time management, perseverance and creativity, the program also laid a firm foundation for future college research opportunities.
 
“It teaches students a form of independence within their education, which I deeply valued throughout the whole process of both years,” Al-Zubiadi said.

 
North Star social studies teacher Brian Wandzilak leads the school’s AP Capstone coursework. He said it was exciting to watch students like Al-Zubiadi succeed in their studies.
 
“AP Capstone is a rare opportunity for students to take control over their learning and have a ton of agency over what they are doing in and out of school,” Wandzilak said. “After some initial groundwork and fundamentals are built, it is a true ‘choose your own adventure’ academic experience. I have yet to encounter an experience that better prepares students for college from a skills perspective.”
 
Southeast teacher Colten White was proud of all the AP Capstone graduates. White leads the school’s AP Research class, which is one part of the thought-provoking experience. AP Seminar and AP Research are companion courses that equip students with talents such as critical thinking, decision making and public speaking. They take AP Seminar in year one of the program and AP Research in year two.
 
“The process of original research is the most rigorous academic coursework available at LPS, so I am impressed with every student who graduates from this program,” White said. “These students represent the highest level of excellence that high school students can achieve.”

 
LPS began offering the AP Capstone program at both Southeast and North Star in 2020 to give students extra academic options. Thirteen Knights and Navigators became the first AP Capstone Diploma recipients in 2022, and seven students earned honors in both 2023 and 2024.
 
White said he has enjoyed watching young adults thrive in the AP Capstone setting. They first learn how to investigate a subject, comprehend and explain an argument and evaluate multiple perspectives in AP Seminar.
 
They then use those skills in a long-term project in AP Research. They pick an in-depth theme to explore, speak with expert advisors and develop an annotated bibliography before writing an academic paper of 4,000-5,000 words.
 
“AP Research is a rewarding class to teach because each student gets to choose their own topic to research throughout the year, and my role is to guide them as they generate new knowledge on that topic,” White said. “I don’t have answers for them – I just guide them in finding their own answers.”
 
Al-Zubiadi felt AP Capstone had also boosted her public speaking skills. After finishing their academic paper, AP Research students deliver an oral presentation to teachers about their findings. They later speak about their experiences in front of the AP Seminar class.
 
“After taking both classes, my presenting skills had definitely improved, such as the way I spoke, planned, designed and overall just carried out my presentations,” Al-Zubiadi said. “This is definitely an important skill for college, graduate school and other opportunities where I would need to do such. I don’t think any other class could’ve helped me prepare like the capstone classes.”
 
AP Capstone is part of a large array of AP courses that are available at LPS. Students take tests on a five-point scale at the conclusion of each class. They receive the AP Capstone Diploma if they post scores of 3.0 or higher in both AP Seminar and AP Research and on four additional AP course exams. They receive the AP Seminar and Research Certificate for earning scores of 3.0 or higher in both AP Seminar and AP Research.
 
Skold and Stricker both said AP Capstone had put them in pole position for their post-secondary plans.
 
“AP Research will be extremely helpful in college as it teaches how to work independently on extremely tasking projects,” Skold said. “This class also prepares you on how to overcome difficulty in challenges throughout the research process. I developed a lot of trial-and-error skills.”
 
“The AP Capstone program taught me how to hold myself accountable for my own work because there was so much independence,” Stricker said. “I feel more ready for college after taking these courses.”
 
Learn more about Gifted Education at LPS on our website at https://home.lps.org/gifted. 
 
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