Tulsa World: Tulsa high school graduate gets state, national honors

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Tulsa high school graduate gets state, national honors

ADVANCED PLACEMENT STUDENT
Richard Stutsman: Because of the number of AP classes he took and the high scores he earned, he was named an AP Scholar with Distinction, a State AP Scholar and a National AP Scholar. "That was a shock," he said. "I didn't even know about them (the awards) when I was taking the classes."

By SARA PLUMMER World Staff Writer
Published: 11/14/2009 2:23 AM
Last Modified: 11/14/2009 5:03 AM

In his four years of high school, Richard Stutsman took 16 Advanced Placement classes at Booker T. Washington High School and passed all the final exams to gain more than 48 hours of college credit.

"The reason I wanted to take the AP classes — I don't really know," Stutsman, 18, said. "Calculus started it. I was in a calculus class freshman year, and it was an AP class."

By the time he was a junior, almost everything on his schedule was an AP class.

Students who earn certain scores on final exams essentially test out of those credit hours in college, although colleges and universities vary on how to handle crediting the hours.

Because of the number of AP classes Stutsman took and the high scores he earned, he was named an AP Scholar with Distinction and a National AP Scholar and was chosen as one of two State AP Scholars.

"That was a shock," he said. "I didn't even know about them (the awards) when I was taking the classes."

Stutsman, who is now a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania, is working on the 120 hours he needs to graduate from college.

Instead of taking the chemistry class that many of his fellow freshmen are taking, he is in the more-advanced organic chemistry class.

"It does give him an advantage," his father, Rick Stutsman, said. "He still has to take 120 hours to graduate, but he doesn't have to start at calculus I or II."

Rick Stutsman said he was worried at first that his son was taking on too much, but he soon found that the teenager could handle it.

"The only thing I helped him out with was the history classes," he said.

Richard Stutsman said many people avoid AP classes because they think they're hard.

"They really do prepare you for the college courses," he said. "If you prepare for the AP tests, you've prepared for the college class."

Sara Plummer 581-8465
sara.plummer@tulsaworld.com By SARA PLUMMER World Staff Writer

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	Report Comment Elusive, the burbs (11/14/2009 3:21:32 AM) Congratulations Richard, your hard work will take you far and Congrats to your parents for a job well done.
	Report Comment eglkeeper, Hooterville (11/14/2009 8:27:43 AM) Wonderful story and awesome job Richard. Your drive should serve as an inspiration to all of us. Don't forget to smell the roses along the way and enjoy the celebrations of your succeses. To the Tulsa World, good job and more stories of this type please.
	Report Comment Whoknew?, Tulsa (11/14/2009 10:57:14 AM) Great job Richard. We know this young man and he is a wonderful person. There are some good things happening at BTW.
	Report Comment Few Clothes, America (11/14/2009 11:59:12 AM) My congratulations to you Richard. Finally a good story pertaining to BTW.
	Report Comment Slatz, Tulsa (11/16/2009 7:59:31 AM) Nice to see a story about a student who aspires to something much more than a career at a drive-thru window or becoming a 'gangsta'.

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