In a fitting tie-in, The Dalles High School class of 2019 had a record 19 students recognized as AP Scholars, an academic distinction showing they passed at least three college-level classes.

The Dalles High School saw a record number of students taking Advanced Placement (AP) tests, and a record number of students reaching AP Scholar status as juniors in the last school year. Students achieve AP Scholar status if they get a score of 3 or better, on a scale of 1-5, on three or more AP tests.

The Dalles High School teacher Mary Jo Commerford had to miss graduation because she flew to Florida and read AP exams for a solid week. But she got a big surprise on the last day of school, when a group of students came to her classroom and re-created graduation for her, right down to the pomp and circumstance music and the handing out of diplomas.