Three Mercy Schools Earn Double Distinction with AP Computer Science Female Diversity Awards
Mercy Education System of the Americas (MESA) is proud to announce that three Mercy schools – Assumption High School (Louisville, KY), Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School (Gwynedd Valley, PA) and Saint Mary Academy – Bay View (Riverside, RI) – have earned two College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Awards for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science A (CSA) and AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) courses.
Only 36 of the 20,000 institutions that offer AP courses earned this double distinction for closing the gender gap in both AP computer science courses.
In addition, nine Mercy schools were among 782 institutions to earn one AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award:
- For AP Computer Science A: Mercy High School (Burlingame, California)
- For AP Computer Science Principles: Academy of Our Lady of Mercy, Lauralton Hall (Milford, Connecticut); Mercy Academy (Louisville, Kentucky); Mercy High School (Middletown, Connecticut); Mercy High School (Baltimore, Maryland); Merion Mercy Academy (Merion Station, Pennsylvania); Mount Saint Mary Academy (Watchung, New Jersey); Our Lady of Mercy Academy (Syosset, New York) and Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women (Rochester, New York).
“STEM programs are thriving at our Mercy schools,” said Sister Lisa Griffith, RSM, executive director of MESA. “With the rapid growth of job opportunities in STEM-related fields, our administrators have recognized the importance of empowering their students, young women and men alike, with the skills and confidence they will need to make an impact on our world. Statistics about the huge gender disparity in the STEM workforce motivate us to work harder to ensure we give our female students every possible opportunity to learn and succeed.”
The AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award honors schools who reached 50 percent or higher female representation in either of the two AP computer science courses in 2019, or whose percentage of female examinees met or exceeded that of the school’s female population in 2019.
Mercy Education System of the Americas is an international organization serving over 50 schools in six countries and one territory. MESA is a ministry of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. Learn more at mercyedu.org.
For more information please contact mesa@sistersofmercy.org.
