Here at Kenwood High School we have a course called AP African American studies (APAAS), currently taught by Craig Maki. AP African American studies is a college level course covering the black experience from the early African kingdoms to the present through literature, arts, and music.
This course allows students to deep dive into the culture of Black Americans and embrace and face the history of black Americans. This course also holds a lot of opportunities for academic growth as this class runs off of open discussion, critical thinking, and evidence based arguments.
“I truly believe every student should consider taking APAAS as an elective because it’s a class every student can benefit from. The course encourages students to engage in meaningful learning and allows them to connect new information with prior knowledge, building deeper understanding,” Mr. Maki shares.
The curriculum is centered around Origins of the Diaspora, Freedom/Resistance, Practice of Freedom, and Movements/Debates— This class was first officially announced in 2022, with the first classes beginning in the 2022–2023 academic year across approximately 60 U.S. schools. Development began years prior, then was released in December 2023 for a national launch in the 2024-2025 school year.
Taking this course in high school is something that many colleges and universities look forward to seeing. As it allows students to work at a college level and potentially earn college credit, and boost their GPA. APAAS is also one of the only AP courses that includes an exam incorporating an individual student project as 10% of the overall exam grade. “My students’ AP exam project research presentations are one of the highlights of the course for me.”
Mr. Maki has really come to enjoy teaching the course here at Kenwood. “I love teaching APAAS because of my students. They chose to take the class and have helped create a learning environment that both challenges and enlightens their peers and me! I enjoy collaborating with them and learning from them. I also love that APAAS isn’t your typical history/social studies course and presents the African American experience through the lens of African American art, film, music, poetry, storytelling and more.”
We are beyond grateful here at Kenwood High School to have Mr. Maki who always shows his endless passion for teaching and willingness to support his students. If you’re looking for an engaging and challenging class for your junior or senior year, you won’t be disappointed.
