LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL ONE OF ONLY 847 IN NATION TO EARN PRESTIGIOUS HONOR

For the second consecutive year, Maria Regina High School in Hawthorne, New York, has won the annual AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award. The all-girls Catholic High School was one of only 847 high schools in the nation to earn the prestigious honor.

In a recent email notifying Maria Regina of the achievement, the Advanced Placement program noted, “Through your leadership in diversifying computer science education, you’re preparing your female students for the in-demand jobs of the future and giving them the opportunity to help solve some of society’s most challenging problems.”

Shelagh Amann, AP computer science principles teacher, said, “It is an exciting time to be teaching AP Computer Science Principles. The young women at Maria Regina High School are learning that computer science is not just about learning to code, it’s about empowering them to see themselves as creators, problem-solvers and leaders in a field that thrives on diversity and innovation. “

Maria Carozza-McCaffrey (’99), principal, said, “Once again, we are proud of our hard-working faculty and students whose enthusiasm for computer science made this outstanding achievement possible.”  She added, “It continues the acclaimed recognition Maria Regina has repeatedly earned by the College Board,” adding, “It’s been an especially notable AP banner year for our school.”

Among the numerous AP accolades she cited was the coveted Advanced Placement (AP) Gold with Access Honor Roll ranking for the 2023-24 school year.  Maria Regina was among only 7% of eligible public and private high schools nationwide, and the only all-girls high school in Westchester and one of only two high schools in the entire Archdiocese of New York Secondary Schools System to achieve the Gold level with Access.

Carozza-McCaffrey explained that the access award honors high schools that demonstrate a clear commitment to giving students equitable access to advanced coursework with no restrictions on who can enroll in an AP course.”