Independence High School is celebrating remarkable academic achievements by its Class of 2025, with students earning national recognition from the College Board for their performance on Advanced Placement (AP) exams. This year, 33 students were honored as AP Scholars, including 14 AP Scholars, 5 AP Scholars with Honor, and 14 AP Scholars with Distinction.
The recognition comes on the heels of a record-setting year for AP performance at IHS. In 2025, 91.14% of AP students scored a 3 or higher on their exams, a dramatic increase from 73% in 2024 and 50% in 2023.
The following students were named AP Scholars, awarded to students who score 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams: Joanna Alrabady, Samuel Bernhardt, Owen C. Jenks, Lindsey M. Lieu, Nathan A. Lu, Tate A. McGovern, Justin Mintz, Madelyn C. Mudra, Matthew A. Shamblen, Mae E. Sheehan, Ella C. Sliwinski, Giada Z. Spisak, Marissa C. Taylor, and Dyanne Wang.
AP Scholars with Honor, recognized for earning an average score of at least 3.25 on all exams and scores of 3 or higher on four or more exams, included: Landon I. Eichler, Nina C. Funk, Addison G. Kolar, Tatiana Randjelovic, and Angelo J. Rodriguez.
AP Scholars with Distinction, awarded to students who achieve an average score of at least 3.5 on all exams and scores of 3 or higher on five or more exams, included: Ian N. Babb, Jacob P. Butcher, Jonathan Chen, Benjamin M. Cober, Anthony J. Freeman, Jenna M. Frustaci, Sabrina P. George, Joseph D. Graham, James K. Kitagawa, Thomas R. Ksiazka, Matthew J. Liepert, John K. Ottaviano, James O. Panichi, and Sam M. Pascarella.
Independence High School offers the following AP courses: AP Literature & Composition, AP Psychology, AP US History, AP European History, AP Government, AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics, AP Art 2D and 3D, AP Biology, AP Environmental Science, AP Calculus AB, AP Statistics, and AP Physics.
“We are incredibly proud of our students for pushing themselves to reach these high levels of academic achievement,” said Principal Mike Janatovich. “The growth we’ve seen over the past three years reflects their hard work, the support of their families, and the dedication of our teachers. Independence High School continues to demonstrate that our students are capable of amazing accomplishments.”