Berkmar Aims for High AP Success
Despite challenges, high school has earned state, national recognition in Advanced Placement program.
On a quiet Friday afternoon, Berkmar High School resembles most suburban schools. School staff members hang a poster near the main entrance to inform seniors about the recent $1 million Broad Prize awarded to Gwinnett schools. Art students paint portraits of classmates that dot the wall of the main hallway. Class is in session. Look deeper, however, and you will find a community of teachers, staff and students that have defied the odds and proved that hard work and serious motivation can turn unlikely students into consistent, high academic achievers. "Effective instruction," Berkmar Principal Ken Johnson mandates as the primary reason behind his school's successful Advance Placement program, which has attracted national and state …
