The College Board has awarded nine recent Suffolk Public School graduates and six rising seniors with 2017 Advanced Placement awards. These students were recognized for their outstanding performances in courses designed to prepare them for college.

“The material is more in-depth and immersive than the regular level courses and has a stronger emphasis on critical thinking, interpreting and utilizing supporting evidence to support a position, written expression, and scientific inquiry through hands-on labs,” said Suffolk Public Schools Advanced Instruction Supervisor Marian Lawson-Davenport in an email.

Nansemond River High School 2017 graduate Savannah Miller received the highest honor with the AP Scholars with Distinction award. This is granted to a student that earned an average grade of at least 3.5 out of 5 on all AP exams taken, and a grade of at least 3 on five of them.

Her senior year included AP chemistry, statistics and government courses. She earned a 5 out of 5 on AP government, which she credited to her government teacher, Jenna Silvio, and her classroom discussions on current politics.

“My government teacher was really big on classroom discussion,” Miller said. “She thought that actually talking about politics would help us understand ourselves.”

Among those that received AP Scholars with Honor — earning a 3.25 average on AP exams and a grade of at least 3 on four — were King’s Fork High School 2017 graduate Nadim Barakat and rising seniors Ella Bronaugh, Thomas Jenkins and Seth Miller. Nansemond River High School 2017 graduates Marissa Bryan, Graylin Dalton, Aviyonce Scott, Tylin Williams and Kyle Wright also received this award.

Bronaugh is an International Baccalaureate student and didn’t take the courses for her literature and composition, language and composition, or United States history exams this year. She took the exams after studying from textbooks in her spare time while juggling her other responsibilities.

“I’ve learned to get things done very quickly,” she said. “I’ve learned how to really focus on what I’m doing so I don’t spend ages studying.”

King’s Fork High School 2017 graduate Agnes Dotse and rising seniors Margaret Jackson and Emily Marlin received the AP Scholars award for earning a grade of three or higher on three AP exams, along with Lakeland High School 2017 graduate Myra Bailey and rising senior Jermaine Austin.

During the previous school year, 355 students were enrolled in AP courses and 323 in dual-enrollment courses, according to the press release. Many colleges grant credits based on sufficient scores in these courses.

“Students in these courses are able to focus on learning content and skills in a setting that is challenging, but also supports the development of young adults,” Lawson-Davenport said. “This allows these students to experience college on their own terms and be more self-assured when attending college after high school.”

She said earning one of these awards is impressive considering students enrolled in AP courses are not required to take the exams, and only half of the students pass with a grade of 3 or higher.

“Those that attempt and succeed in passing the exams have demonstrated high academic ability and knowledge,” she said.