Three Niceville High School students have earned the prestigious AP Capstone Award during the 2024-25 school year, joining thousands of students worldwide who completed the rigorous College Board program.

• Hannahlaura Schuchhardt, Brooke Arbic and Jessica Berry achieved the recognition through the AP Capstone Diploma program, a project-based learning experience that develops critical thinking, research, collaboration and presentation skills. Schuchhardt and Berry are recent graduates, while Arbic is a current student.

The program is offered in over 3,500 schools worldwide. This year, approximately 27,650 students earned the AP Capstone Diploma, while 12,430 earned the AP Seminar and Research Certificate.

“We are so proud of our students and the dedication they’ve shown throughout the AP Capstone program,” Superintendent Marcus Chambers said. “It’s inspiring to see them explore topics they’re passionate about and develop skills that will help them succeed in college and beyond.”

Principal Charlie Marello praised the students’ efforts.

• “Our students have worked hard and embraced the challenges of AP Capstone,” Marello said. “Through their research, collaboration, and presentations, they’ve grown as thinkers and problem-solvers, and we couldn’t be more proud of their accomplishments.”

During the 2024-25 school year, Niceville High School students excelled in AP Seminar and AP Research, completing interdisciplinary projects and presentations that demonstrated mastery of essential academic skills.

The program encourages students to pursue topics of personal interest while developing project management, collaboration and communication abilities.