As the fall semester drew to a close, Liberty students took the finals of the classes they had this semester. But not every student had to take them. Students in an Advanced Placement (AP) class earns an A- or above as their final grade and signs up to take that course’s AP exam, they are exempted from taking the final for that class.

AP is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which seeks to offer college-level coursework to high school students. Students can opt to register for AP exams which are taken in May. These exams cover a variety of academic subjects, like biology, physics and literature. Scoring a 4 or above on an exam allows students to potentially get college credit. Recently College Board changed its registration policies, requiring students register for their fall semester APs in fall and their spring semester APs in spring, instead of registering for them all at once.

With the end of the semester, Liberty students joined thousands of other Pennsylvania high school students in taking the Pennsylvania Keystone Exams. Keystone exams are end-of-course assessments aimed at determining proficiency in algebra 1, biology and literature. Keystones were introduced in the 2012-2013 school year, replacing the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA).

Students are required to take the Keystone exams and score a “proficient” or above in order to graduate, but that might not be the case for long. On Feb. 3, 2016, Governor Tom Wolf signed a bill that says it should no longer be a graduation requirement to pass the exams and that the government should find alternative graduation requirements to replace the Keystones.

Liberty’s spring musical will be “Peter Pan,” the story of the boy who wouldn’t grow up. “Peter Pan” is a 1954 musical based on J.M. Barrie’s 1904 play and novelization thereof of the same name. It follows Wendy, Michael and John Darling, siblings who are whisked away by a boy named Peter Pan and his fairy, Tinker, to Neverland, an imaginary land where children stop aging. There, they cross paths with the Lost Boys, a girl named Tiger Lily, and Peter Pan’s archnemesis, Captain Hook, a pirate captain with an iron hook for a hand and a crippling fear of crocodiles.

Peter Pan will be played by senior Charlotte Samuelson, in keeping with the century-old tradition of casting a female actor as the boy who wouldn’t grow up. Wendy Darling will be played by junior Bridget White, John Darling by Patrick Sparozie, and Michael Darling by Colin Wycherley. Captain Hook, Peter Pan’s archenemy with an iron hook for a hand, will be played by senior Drew Rehrig. Liberty HS Theatre’s production of “Peter Pan” is set to run in March.

In sports, the Liberty basketball team held off Freedom HS and Central Catholic to move on to the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference championship. This is the team’s best performance since 2013, when Liberty won the Lehigh Valley Conference championship. Liberty is currently ranked number 10 among 6A schools in the latest state rankings.