I am happy to recommend Areeba Basaria for consideration for college admission. I taught her as a junior in AP® Environmental Science at The Gwinnett School of Math Science and Technology (GSMST) during the school year 2022-2023. GSMST is a top ranked high school in GA, with a minimum five specific AP® courses and a junior and senior year internship experience required for graduation. Students gain admission through a county-wide lottery open to all rising ninth-grade students who meet the minimum math score. Areeba stands out in my mind for her enthusiasm and optimism as she approaches a subject. She seemed to enjoy being in school, eager to participate in class activities and work with her classmates. She completed assignments regularly and on time, a reflection of her positive work ethic. Some of her best work was on projects where she needed to learn about a topic, and then, teach it back to her classmates through an oral report. Her outgoing personality and willingness to work allows her to make good contributions to school and community activities such as student council organized social functions like dances. As a student, perhaps because of starting our school without the normal summer immersion program cancelled because of COVID in 2020, Areeba is less mature than many students I would see in 11th or 12th grade. I didn’t see in her the typical high school growth where students learn that success in courses isn’t necessarily only due to effort; learning to self-reflect about quality of personal work or understanding is equally or more important. For example, Areeba often expected higher grades on assignments because she felt she worked hard on them. However, her work on objective assessments showed she didn’t master all the concepts well enough to apply the information to new situations presented on the tests. Likewise, for Areeba, making an effort or perhaps working under a mindset of “completing” an assignment without effective learning strategies may not lead to long term retention of material. I believe Areeba has the potential to complete college work, especially in a setting where students are given early instruction and coaching in how to manage college work. Please contact me if you need more information. Tom Wellnitz GSMST, Lawrenceville, GA 36 years teaching experience in independent and high performing public high schools, now retired as of June 2023 Twellnitz2017@att.net
I am happy to recommend Areeba Basaria for consideration for college admission. I taught her as a junior in AP® Environmental Science at The Gwinnett School of Math Science and Technology (GSMST) during the school year 2022-2023. GSMST is a top ranked high school in GA, with a minimum five specific AP® courses and a junior and senior year internship experience required for graduation. Students gain admission through a county-wide lottery open to all rising ninth-grade students who meet the minimum math score. Areeba stands out in my mind for her enthusiasm and optimism as she approaches a subject. She seemed to enjoy being in school, eager to participate in class activities and work with her classmates. She completed assignments regularly and on time, a reflection of her positive work ethic. Some of her best work was on projects where she needed to learn about a topic, and then, teach it back to her classmates through an oral report. Her outgoing personality and willingness to work allows her to make good contributions to school and community activities such as student council organized social functions like dances. As a student, perhaps because of starting our school without the normal summer immersion program cancelled because of COVID in 2020, Areeba is less mature than many students I would see in 11th or 12th grade. I didn’t see in her the typical high school growth where students learn that success in courses isn’t necessarily only due to effort; learning to self-reflect about quality of personal work or understanding is equally or more important. For example, Areeba often expected higher grades on assignments because she felt she worked hard on them. However, her work on objective assessments showed she didn’t master all the concepts well enough to apply the information to new situations presented on the tests. Likewise, for Areeba, making an effort or perhaps working under a mindset of “completing” an assignment without effective learning strategies may not lead to long term retention of material. I believe Areeba has the potential to complete college work, especially in a setting where students are given early instruction and coaching in how to manage college work. Please contact me if you need more information. Tom Wellnitz GSMST, Lawrenceville, GA 36 years teaching experience in independent and high performing public high schools, now retired as of June 2023 Twellnitz2017@att.net
I am happy to recommend Areeba Basaria for consideration for college admission. I taught her as a junior in AP® Environmental Science at The Gwinnett School of Math Science and Technology (GSMST) during the school year 2022-2023. GSMST is a top ranked high school in GA, with a minimum five specific AP® courses and a junior and senior year internship experience required for graduation. Students gain admission through a county-wide lottery open to all rising ninth-grade students who meet the minimum math score. Areeba stands out in my mind for her enthusiasm and optimism as she approaches a subject. She seemed to enjoy being in school, eager to participate in class activities and work with her classmates. She completed assignments regularly and on time, a reflection of her positive work ethic. Some of her best work was on projects where she needed to learn about a topic, and then, teach it back to her classmates through an oral report. Her outgoing personality and willingness to work allows her to make good contributions to school and community activities such as student council organized social functions like dances. As a student, perhaps because of starting our school without the normal summer immersion program cancelled because of COVID in 2020, Areeba is less mature than many students I would see in 11th or 12th grade. I didn’t see in her the typical high school growth where students learn that success in courses isn’t necessarily only due to effort; learning to self-reflect about quality of personal work or understanding is equally or more important. For example, Areeba often expected higher grades on assignments because she felt she worked hard on them. However, her work on objective assessments showed she didn’t master all the concepts well enough to apply the information to new situations presented on the tests. Likewise, for Areeba, making an effort or perhaps working under a mindset of “completing” an assignment without effective learning strategies may not lead to long term retention of material. I believe Areeba has the potential to complete college work, especially in a setting where students are given early instruction and coaching in how to manage college work. Please contact me if you need more information. Tom Wellnitz GSMST, Lawrenceville, GA 36 years teaching experience in independent and high performing public high schools, now retired as of June 2023 Twellnitz2017@att.net