Advanced Academic Course Offerings
Honors and Advanced Placement Classes
OHS offers a variety of Advanced Placement (AP) classes. AP classes are college-level classes taught in high schools that follow national College Board curricular standards and culminate in students taking an assessment–usually an exam in May–that is scored by the College Board. OHS pays for all expenses associated with taking APs, so they are free to students. AP classes offered by OHS include AP Human Geography, AP US History, AP Gov & Politics, AP English Language, AP English Literature, AP World History, AP PreCalculus, AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Statistics, AP Studio Art 2D, AP Physics C, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Seminar and AP Research. In addition to AP classes, OHS offers a variety of honors-level classes. These courses tend to attract students seeking extra rigor or depth. A full list of courses offered at OHS, including honors classes is available on the OHS School Profile.
AP Capstone Diploma
The AP Capstone is a diploma program earned by taking AP Seminar and AP Research. These courses are different than other AP classes in that they emphasize specific skills–critical thinking, research, collaboration, time management, and public speaking–rather than prescribed disciplinary content. AP Seminar, which is a required prerequisite for AP Research, lays a foundation for these skills, and AP Research goes a step further, providing students a facilitated environment in which they conduct year-long, independent research projects, informed by academic literature in the relevant discipline. Each of these courses includes through-year (non-exam-based) assessments, which get sent into the College Board for scoring. Students who earn a 3 or higher on AP Seminar and AP Research earn an AP Seminar and AP Research Certificate. Those who additionally earn a score of a 3 or higher on four other AP exams are awarded an AP Capstone Diploma.
Early College
Maine’s Early College (EC) program can be a great option for students looking for extra challenge or more varied offerings in a variety of disciplines. Early College classes offered through the University of Maine System or the Maine Community College System and through
the Husson Early College Access Program (ECAP) allow high school students to take college courses (either in person or online) alongside college-age students. Because of scheduling, we find that EC classes are a better match for OHS juniors and seniors, since these students have more flexibility in their schedules. Students should keep in mind that EC classes are designed for older, independent students, so they require a higher level of organization, time management, and general executive functioning. More information about OHS Early College options can be found here. Please note that though enrollment in these classes is generally free of cost, students are responsible for purchasing required textbooks, arranging their own transport to class, and ensuring that they keep up with course work, given that the university will not contact the high school if a student is falling behind or failing. If you would like to discuss how Early College might fit into your academic trajectory, please email our Advanced Academics teacher (Ms. Quirk) or talk to your guidance counselor (Mr. Wagstaff or Ms. Gunn).
AP4ME
The University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI) offers online AP classes through the state’s AP4ME program. The courses offered vary slightly by year, but they often serve as a nice supplement to what OHS can offer with options like AP Environmental Science, AP Computer Science A, and AP Music Theory. AP4ME offers instruction only, not coordination of AP exams. If you are interested in taking an AP4ME class, please talk to Ms. Quirk or to your guidance counselor ideally in the spring of the previous academic year, to learn more about the process and to see if they can help you with ordering an AP exam for the end of the course.