5 minute read
Academic Excellence
Saint Mary’s School Earns AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award
Saint Mary’s School has earned the College Board AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science A. Schools honored with the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have expanded girls’ access in AP Computer Science courses.
Out of the 20,000 institutions that offer AP courses, 1,119 achieved either 50 percent or higher female representation in one of the two AP computer science courses or a percentage of the female computer science examinees meeting or exceeding that of the school’s female during the 2019-20 school year. That’s nearly 37 percent more than the 818 schools recognized last year. In 2020, Saint Mary’s School was one of 232 recognized in the category of AP Computer Science A.
“During an unprecedented year, Saint Mary’s students have demonstrated perseverance and dedication in their study of AP Computer Science,” said Interim Head of School Carol Killebrew. “We are most proud of our students for staking their claim as the next generation of STEM and computer science professionals. We can’t wait to see their passion for next generation technology lead to lifelong success.”
Saint Mary’s students need the power to shape technology, not just cope with it,” says Stefanie Sanford, College Board chief of global policy and external relations. “Young women deserve an equal opportunity to become the next generation of entrepreneurs, engineers and tech leaders. Closing the gap in computer science education empowers young women to build the future they want.”
AP Computer Science A students learn to design and implement computer programs that solve problems relevant to today’s society. The number of female AP CSA exam-takers has grown steadily, up nearly 25 percent since 2017. Overall AP computer science course participation has increased 79% since 2017, broadening STEM career opportunities for more students. Providing female students with access to computer science courses is critical to ensuring gender parity in the industry’s high-paying jobs and to drive innovation, creativity, and representation. The median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $88,240 in May 2019. However, a code.org analysis of 2017 Bureau of Labor Statistics data finds women represent just 24 percent of the five million people in computing occupations.
That’s why new College Board research about AP CSP is so encouraging. According to the data, female students who take AP CSP in high school are more than 5 times as likely to major in computer science in college, compared to similar female students who did not take CSP. The study also finds AP CSP students are nearly twice as likely to enroll in AP CSA, and that for most students, AP CSP serves as a stepping-stone to other advanced AP STEM coursework.
These findings make it all the more imperative that schools nationwide achieve gender parity in AP Computer Science classrooms. The 1,119 schools that receive this year’s AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award should serve as inspirations and models for all American high schools, where overall, female students remain underrepresented in computer science classes, comprising just 34% of AP Computer Science Principles participants. So, there is a long way to go to achieve equal gender representation in the field of computer science. Currently, less than half of the nation’s high schools teach foundational computer science, a clear opportunity to be addressed by strong partnerships between policymakers, the tech industry, and educators.
Mary Dana Hinton ’88HS elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Hollins University President and Saint Mary’s alumna and trustee Mary Dana Hinton ‘88HS has been elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, an organization established in 1780 by John Adams, John Hancock, and others among the nation’s founders to honor exceptionally accomplished individuals and engage them in advancing the public good.
Announcing this year’s new members, the Academy stated, “The 2021 election provides an opportunity to recognize extraordinary people who help solve the world’s most urgent challenges, create meaning through art, and contribute to the common good from every fi eld, discipline, and profession.”
The Academy’s newest members are grouped in 30 sections within fi ve classes. Hinton is among the seven elected in the Educational and Academic Leadership section from the Leadership, Policy, and Communications class. They join other artists, scholars, scientists, and leaders in the public, nonprofi t, and private sectors elected this year including: economist Dirk Bergemann, Yale University; neurosurgeon and medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, CNN; Emory University; civil rights activist and math literacy pioneer Robert Moses, The Algebra Project; composer, songwriter, and performer Robbie Robertson; journalist Kara Swisher, VOX Media Inc.; The New York Times; atmospheric scientist Anne Thompson, NASA/Godard Space Flight Center; and media entrepreneur and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey
The Academy noted that 55 percent of the members elected in 2021 are women.
The new class joins Academy members elected before them, including Benjamin Franklin (1781), Alexander Hamilton (1791), Ralph Waldo Emerson (1864), Charles Darwin (1874), Albert Einstein (1924), Robert Frost (1931), Margaret Mead (1948), Martin Luther King Jr. (1966), Anthony Fauci (1991), Antonin Scalia (2003), John Legend (2017), and Anna Devere Smith (2019).
Laurene Meir Sperling ’74HS named Duke University board of trustees chair
Saint Mary's alumna Laurene Meir Sperling ’74HS has been named the next chair of the Duke University Board of Trustees. An investment executive, nonprofi t board leader, and philanthropist, Ms. Sperling began her two-year term eff ective July 1, 2021. She is a Raleigh native and attended Saint Mary's, graduating from the high school program in 1974. She then enrolled at and graduated from Duke University in 1978 and later earned an M.B.A. from Harvard University. She has served on Duke's Board of Trustees since 2010 and has been vice-chair since 2017, leading the institutional advancement committee, undergraduate education committee, the committee on trusteeship, and the ad-hoc task force on governance.
