When looking at Middletown High senior Colin Fields’ Advanced Placement exam results, three obvious conclusions can be drawn:
- He’s taken a lot of Advanced Placement classes (Eight. And that's just through his junior year).
- He’s scored a “5,” the highest possible score, on all but one of the eight Advanced Placement courses he’s taken.
- He scored a “4” on the other: AP Psychology.
So what gives? Why did a student who completed eight Advanced Placement courses before his senior year get a 4 on that one?
Well, he self-taught himself AP Psychology, then took the exam to see how well he would do.
A terrific student, Fields was the recipient of the National AP Scholar Award for excellence. This award is granted to students in the United States who receive an average score of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams. Typically, this is an award presented after students complete exams after their senior year. He had fulfilled the requirement by the conclusion of his junior year.
But Colin's academic success is only part of Colin’s story. His concern for others leaps out as much as his test scores.
Colin is an aspiring doctor. He wants to double major in biochemistry because it would one day give his patients the best quality of care.
He is Frederick County Public Schools Calendar Committee volunteer. He was part of a group tasked with the difficult task of crafting a proposed school calendar. Despite being incredibly busy, Colin wanted to serve in this volunteer role to help his fellow students. Fields said he wanted to explain to other committee members how starting school later in the summer effects Advanced Placement students negatively. His goal was to help craft a schedule that would benefit student achievement.
When he discusses his personal achievements, he often winds up talking about how he likes to help others in any way he can.
This year, Colin is taking Linear Algebra, as part of the Frederick Community College and FCPS Dual Enrollment program. He also spends part of his day at the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Research. He starts smiling when he discusses how the experiments being done there could one day lead to improved treatment and, perhaps, even a cure for certain types of cancers.
Middletown High principal Lee Jeffrey called Colin an outstanding student, one who has taken advantage of nearly every challenging course offering available to FCPS students.
Colin credited his Middletown High teachers for challenging him. He feels prepared for college and is ready for the eight-year program that will be necessary for him to become a doctor.
In the meantime, Colin is extremely busy. He actually had to miss an award ceremony for his academic successes because he had an important college interview. Sometimes, double bookings are inevitable, even though he is so organized that he carefully schedules all required tasks.
He even squeezed in time to self-teach himself AP Psychology and pass the Advanced Placement exam, showcasing the discipline and inner motivation that will help him in his postgraduate life.
While Colin is still determining where he wants to attend college, his future seems as bright as the orange paint used on Middletown High banners throughout the school.
-- Brandon Oland