Bay High School recently received the 2022 Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Women’s Diversity Award from the College Board’s Division of Administration.
According to a news release, only 209 schools nationwide have achieved this accreditation, and Bay was just one of 25 schools in Ohio to earn such an honor.
Since its inception in 1988, the award has helped provide opportunities to more students in the high-paying fields of computer science, the release said.
In 2017 alone, female participation in these AP computer science classes increased by 39%.
Robert Hoon, director of curriculum and instruction for the Bay Village School District, told The Morning Journal that computer science has traditionally been a very male-dominated field of study nationally.
“Our high school program won this award because it expanded women’s access to our classes,” Hung said. “It’s a very important honor.”
Hoon praised Brent Neibecker, AP Computer Science Teacher, along with District Superintendent Scot Prebles.
Her high-level work as a teacher at Bay High School has allowed the school to expand female participation, as well as increase participation throughout AP classes.
“Mr. Neibecker has taught AP Computer Science since the beginning of our offering,” said Hoon. “Students are very interested.
“I think a lot of that can be attributed to Mr. Nyvecker’s role in the classroom, and he certainly sparked student interest throughout his high school career.”
Head of Mathematics at Bay High School, Naiveker is involved in many of the day-to-day operations of the school’s math class.
Hoon says AP computer science is just one part of Neibecker’s job, but it’s one he takes great pride in.
Hoon said Neibecker has contributed to her success in class during the coronavirus pandemic.
“To be fair,[Nyvecker]has really weathered the COVID-19 pandemic in a class that can’t be easily replicated,” Hoon said. “He did a great job with it.
“Student interest continues to be very high.”
In addition to education, the district wants to give students the opportunities they need to succeed, Hoon said.
Prebles said winning the award not only shows that the district supports students in a big way, but the work isn’t done.
“Equality comes from opportunity,” said Phe. “The most important thing we can do is provide opportunities for all students, male and female.
“Having different students in the classroom increases the chances of learning in different ways.”
One of the district’s challenges is preserving each student’s personal experience, says Prebles.
The state’s large curriculum remains the same for each student, but school districts strive to ensure that things feel relatively personalized, he said.
“That’s the job,” said Prebles. “Truly, excellence in education, if you can see your programs, policies and procedures, you will see that there is opportunity for every student in your school district.
“Basically, all ships rise.”
Prebles and Hoon said school counselors are essential to maintaining a sense of individuality in students.
And each student has a different career path.
“The relationships we have developed with our students and school counselors have really helped this program and others grow,” Hung said. “Having the ability to independently plan a course for each student would be really helpful.”
According to the district, national recognition is great, but it’s not the best moment of their academic instruction.
Instead, the district said it wanted to use this recognition as a starting point to create more opportunities for current students and those looking to move up the ranks.
“This is very important and something we are very proud of,” said Hoon. “But frankly, it’s the beginning of what we want to do.”
