In this photo: Lorin Bartlett, an alumnus from Granite Hills High school who currently attends UOP. He said that taking AP classes at Granite HIlls has really helped him with college.

Granite Hills’ alumni shares his testimony: AP classes help for college
Sabrina Ziegler | 3/12/08 | Feature

Taking Advanced Placement courses at Granite Hills proved a crucial tool for Lorin Bartlett, who shared his experiences from a new perspective while visiting his old campus, Tuesday, March 11.

 Now, a sophomore at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Bartlett is studying pre-pharmacy alongside a rigorous athletic routine as a water polo player for the Pacific Tigers.

 Bartlett admits that by going away to college immediately following his high school graduation in 2006, “it was hard adjusting.”

 As if his academic schedule wasn’t heavy already, Bartlett spends an average of 6 hours per day, practicing with the water polo team, which includes swimming 4 to 5 miles, or about 500 laps a day, he estimated.

 The Tigers’ biggest competition are water polo teams from Berkeley, Stanford, Irvine and Long Beach.

 “I really like the games. They make it worth it,” said Bartlett.

 In addition to his water polo commitments, Bartlett is experiencing life, completely on his own for a change, while his twin brother, Reid, attends Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

The dorm life has its requirements for independence, as well.

"I wash my clothes probably once a week," said Bartlett. Providing his own meals is a mandatory task. "I have a microwave, but macaroni and cheese gets old really fast."

The demands of living on his own require Bartlett to make his personal commitments the center of attention, so that when coming back home for a visit maybe 4 or 5 times out of the year, he experiences a difference, he said.

"It's nice just because I'm not home that much. I have to be less selfish when I'm back home," Bartlett said.

Overall, however, Bartlett feels he has greatly benefited from his college experience.

A message to his peers: "It was really hard, but you just have to find out what is right for you," whether it be attending a community college, or going away to a university. "If you want to be happy in life it's important to focus on academics."

Bartlett graduated at the top of his class, ranking 4th amongst his peers in Grade Point Average. Since his graduation, Granite Hills has seen more of a female dominated senior class.

"It's kind of sad. I think guys in high school put too much emphasis on sports, gangs, and being cool," said Bartlett.

Though he said, "I probably didn't work as hard as I should have at Granite," he took AP classes, and is presently realizing the benefits.

"I probably would have gotten really bad grades in my first year of college if I hadn't taken those classes," Bartlett said.

Looking back, Bartlett feels his greatest influences were his AP teachers. "They prepared me the most for what I had to do." Classes like chemistry and calculus "were by far the classes that made me study more than I had before," he said.

For example, in Julie Chapman's AP chemistry course, students keep a notebook as a resource tool.

"I used that notebook pretty much every night for chemistry my first and second years of college, and also in biology," Bartlett said.

Evan Hackett formerly taught Bartlett as an English teacher at Granite Hills. He referred to Bartlett as an example of a student who would have found it incredibly more difficult to fulfill the demands of college, had he not taken AP chemistry, calculus or physics.

"This is what we [teachers] come to school for, is kids like Lorin. Our job is to prepare kids for college," said Hackett.

With the Education budget cuts posing a possibility of most high schools losing AP classes that don't reach an attendance of 25 students or more, Hackett expressed a concern.

"We're never going to get 25 students to fill some of those top classes. Kids at Granite Hills will not have the same advantages as students at some of the elite schools. We’re actually doing a disservice to our students, [because] if they don't take classes like chemistry, calculus and physics, they're not going to succeed at the college level," said Hackett.

Hackett believes Bartlett is a model of the high school work ethic that provides long term benefits.

Bartlett not only worked hard in academics, but established himself as a key athlete on the Grizzly water polo team. During his freshman year, the team never won, where by his junior year, the team took about 25 victories, he said.

“It just shows that no matter where you start, if you work hard you can do anything,” said Bartlett. He feels, “more kids [currently attending Granite Hills] should join the water polo team, [and] if these kids work hard enough, they can do whatever they want to.”

Bartlett wishes to instill in his lowerclassmen, as well as all high school students that strong work ethic, when fostered through AP courses and determination in high school, will go a long way in college.

Tomando clases de Advanced Placement en Granite Hills probo ser algo crucial para Lorin Bartlett, quien compartió sus experiencias de una perspectiva diferente mientras visitando su escuela anterior el martes 11 de marzo.

Ahora, una estudiante de segundo año en University of the Pacific en Strockton, Bartlett esta estudiando pre-farmacia al igual que una rutina atlética rigorosa como un jugador de polo acuático para los Pacific Tigers.

Bartlett admitió que al ir al colegio inmediatamente siguiendo su graduación de preparatoria en el 2006, "fue difícil ajustar."

Si su horario académico todavía no estaba pesado, Bartlett pasa un promedio de 6 horas diarias, practicando con el equipo de polo acuático, el cual incluye nadando cuatro a cinco millas, o 500 vueltas al día, el estimo.

La competicion mas grande de los Tigers son los equipos de Berkeley, Stanford, Irvine y Long Beach y University of California .

"En verdad me gustan los juegos.  Hacen que valgan," dijo Bartlett.

En adición a su compromisos de polo acuático, Bartlett esta experimentado la vida, completamente por si mismo por un cambio, mientras su hermano gemelo, Reid, asiste Vanderbilt College en Nashville, Tennesee.

La vida en dormitorios tiene sus requerimientos para independencia, al igual.

"Lavo mi ropa probablemente una vez a la semana," dijo Barlett.  Proveyendo sus propias comidas es una tarea mandataria.  "Tengo una microondas, pero macarrón con queso se hace viejo muy pronto."

Las demandas de vivir solo requieren que Bartlett haga sus compromisos personales el centro de su atención, así que cuando regresa a casa para visitas quizás cuatro a cinco  veces al año, experimenta una diferencia, dijo el.

"Es bonito nomás porque no estoy en casa tanto.  Tengo que ser menos egoísta cuando estoy en casa," dijo Bartlett.

En conjunto, sin embargo, Bartlett siente que ha beneficiado de su experiencia colegial.

Un mensaje a sus iguales:  "Fue muy difícil, pero tienes que hallar lo que es correcto para ti," así sea asistiendo un colegio comunitario o una universidad.  "Si quieres ser feliz en la vida es importante enfocar en lo académico."

Bartlett graduó en el alto de su clase, situado cuarto en Grade Point Average.  Desde su graduación, Granite Hills ha visto clases dominadas por jovencitas.

"Es un poco deprimente.  Pienso que varones en la preparatoria ponen mucho énfasis en deportes, pandillas, y impresionando," dijo Bartlett.

Aunque dijo, "Probablemente no trabaja lo suficiente duro en Granite," tomo clases de AP, y actualmente esta realizando los beneficios.

"Probablemente hubiera tenido calificaciones muy malas en mi primer año de colegio si no hubiera tomado esas clases," Bartlett dijo.

Mirando atrás, Bartlett siente que sus influencias mas grandes vinieron de sus maestros de AP.  "Me prepararon mas para lo que tenia que hacer."  Clases como química y calculo "fueron por mucho las clases que me hicieron estudian mas que lo había hecho antes," dijo el.

Por ejemplo, en la clase de Julie Chapmen de quimica AP, los estudiantes mantienen una libreta como un instrumento de recursos.

"Use la libreta casi todas las noches para química mi primer y segundo año de colegio, también en biología," Bartlett dijo.

Evan Hackett anteriormente fue el maestro de Ingles de Bartlett en Granite Hills. El refirió a Bartlett como un estudiante ejemplar quién hubiera hallado las demandas de colegio mucho mas difíciles si no hubiera tomado química, calculo o física AP.

"Esto es por lo que nosotros [los maestros] venimos a la escuela, para niños tal como Lorin.  Nuestro trabajo es de preparar los niños para el colegio," dijo Hackett.

Con cortos de presupuesto de educación siendo una posibilidad de perdiendo clases AP si no llegan a una asistencia de 25 estudiantes o mas, Hackett expreso concierna.

"Nunca vamos a tener 25 estudiantes para llenar unas de esas clases.  Niños en Granite Hills no tendrán las mismas ventajas que estudiantes en unas de las escuelas prestigiosas.  Estamos haciendo un deservicio a nuestros estudiantes, [porque] si no toman clases como química, calculo o física no van a ser exitosos en el nivel colegial," dijo Hackett.

Hackett piensa que Bartlet es un modelo de ética de trabajo de preparatoria que provee beneficios duraderos.

Bartlett no solo trabajo arduamente en la académica, pero se estableció como un atleta necesario en el equipo de polo acuático de los Grizzlies.  Durante su primer año, el equipo nunca gano, pero su año tercer, el equipo tomo 25 victorias, dijo el.

"Nomás demuestra que no importa como comiences, si trabajas duro puedes hacer lo que sea," dijo Bartlett.  El siente, "mucho niños [actualmente asistiendo Granite Hills] deben unirse al equipo de polo acuático, [y] si estos niños trabajan lo suficiente duro, pueden hacer lo que quieran."

Bartlett desea inculcar en estudiantes menores, al igual que todos los estudiantes de preparatoria, que ética de trabajar ardua, cuando fomentada a través de clases AP y determinación, será duradera en el colegio.