Developing skills that are actually useful for not only college but afterward is something many high schoolers often seek out, but it can be hard to find a class that teaches these skills. The search is over thanks to Kalani’s AP Research class.

AP Research is a part of the AP Capstone curriculum and can only be taken after you have passed AP Seminar. AP Seminar is taught by Mr. Kendrick. AP Research is taught by Mr. Kendrick and Mr. Okawa. The class teaches many different skills important for communication post-high school.

“I’m learning presentation skills, how to create Powerpoints, how to talk effectively when giving a presentation, body language, and all that stuff,” Toby In (11) said.

All of the skills mentioned will be useful no matter what path you choose after high school. Whether you go directly into the workforce, or onto college, you will likely be asked to construct a presentation and speak publically. The class is graded by meeting certain deadlines and a final project.

Students say the teachers are very helpful.

“They have a really good grasp on how much they should help us or could help us, and what we should do on our own,” Thuyvi Le (11) said. “They’ll never overstep and control our project but they always manage to say things or help us do things, that ultimately really benefit us in the end.”

The workload may be worrisome to some people. A very long and thorough research paper is no small feat. However, students say it’s nothing to worry.

“It really depends on yourself,” Pearl Lee (11) said. “If you don’t work progressively before the due date, like a little bit each day, then obviously your workload is gonna be a lot towards the end and your gonna pile all of that stuff on you.”

Effective time management is important to stay on top of your work.

“I wouldn’t say the workload isn’t anything you couldn’t handle,” Le said. “It’s just you have to know how to manage your time.”

In the two-year AP Capstone course, you learn a smorgasbord of important skills, work with great teachers and peers, and the workload is manageable. Most students say the class is also fun and rewarding.

“It’s really academically engaging once you get into your work,” Le said. “It just doesn’t feel like your other classes where it’s kinda material given to you. You’re actually developing yourself so it’s just really stimulating.”