Select JCPS High School Students and 2025 Graduates Named AP Capstone Candidates

SMITHFIELD, NC - Johnston County Public Schools (JCPS) is excited to share that for the 2024-2025 academic year, two seniors and two 2025 graduates are candidates for the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Capstone Diploma™, and three seniors and two 2025 graduates are candidates for the AP Seminar and Research Certificate™.

The College Board AP Capstone is a two-year program based on two AP courses: AP Seminar and AP Research. The program helps students develop critical thinking, collaboration, and research and presentation skills that are essential to academic and career success.

Instead of learning subject-specific content, these courses develop students’ skills in research, analysis, evidence-based arguments, collaboration, writing, and presenting. Students who complete the two-year program can earn one of two different AP Capstone awards, the AP Capstone Diploma™ or the AP Seminar and Research Certificate™, which are valued by colleges across the United States and around the world.

To receive the AP Seminar and Research Certificate™, students must earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research. The five candidates for the AP Seminar and Research Certificate™ are Savannah Quintas, Maria Paula Siqueira, Marissa Keen, Savannah Gardner, and Isabella Ashley.

Savannah Quintas, a 2025 Clayton High graduate, researched the topic: The Effects of Prejudice on Literature Interaction. Quintas is now attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, studying English and business.

Corinth Holders High senior Maria Paula Siqueira’s research topic was: Is there a correlation between multitasking with digital devices, such as smartphones, on short-term memory retention through memory capacity in high school students ages fourteen through eighteen? Her research paper was titled: The Modern Impact of Technology on Adolescent Short-Term Memory Retention.

Marissa Keen, a 2025 Corinth Holders High graduate, researched: How can the symptoms of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction be slowed by incorporating daily walks into the routines of geriatric dogs, and what role can surveys and veterinarians play in raising awareness about the prevention of the condition? Keen is currently a student at North Carolina State University studying to become a veterinarian.

Corinth Holders High senior Savannah Gardner’s research question was: How do different music genres affect students’ concentration levels, and do self-perceived effects match actual performance during a memory-based task? She presented her research paper titled: The Influence of Music Genre on Memory Recall and Perceived Concentration.

Isabella Ashley, a senior at Corinth Holders High, wrote her research paper based on the question: What is the narrative study of recovering from ACL and meniscus injuries for high school athletes in relation to recovery time and neuromuscular rehabilitation? Ashley’s subsequent paper was titled: Advancements in ACL and Meniscus Injury Treatment and Rehabilitation: A Comprehensive Analysis.

The four candidates named for the AP Capstone Diploma™ are Kiara Smith, Evan Herman, Madison Moore, and Dwane Magsino. To earn the AP Capstone Diploma™, students must earn scores of 3 or higher in both AP Seminar and AP Research, and on four additional AP Exams of their choice. 

Kiara Smith, a 2025 Clayton High graduate, conducted research based on the question: How does exposure to posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram influence aggressive behaviors in people between the ages of 15 and 25? 

Clayton High 2025 graduate Evan Herman’s research question was: What is the likelihood of males aged 18-30 living in Clayton, NC, to start taking anabolic steroids as a result of social media influence, and how well does this group understand the risks associated with taking anabolic steroids? Herman is now a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Clayton High senior Madison Moore’s research topic was: The Effects of Oxybenzone and Clayton’s Ability to Make Informed Decisions. Moore is currently serving as the student body president. After graduation, she plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and pursue a degree in business administration, with a concentration in leadership and management. 

Dwane Magsino, a senior at Corinth Holders High, researched the question: To what extent was AI stigmatized or recognized across cultures, and how did the reasons behind these perceptions shape public opinions and the development of regulations? His research paper is entitled: AI Stigmatization, Recognition, Opinions, and Regulations Based on Cultural Values.

The Advanced Placement® Program enables willing and academically prepared students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. The AP Program develops college-level courses that high schools can choose to offer, and corresponding AP exams that are administered annually. For the 2024-2025 academic year, JCPS had a combined total of 119 AP Scholars, 33 AP Scholars with Honor, and 38 AP Scholars with Distinction.