For Central Bucks East graduate Michael Metalsky, being one of only 197 students worldwide to earn a perfect score on the 2022 AP 2D Art and Design Exam was great. But there was something else that was even greater. And that was “to be able to creatively express myself throughout the entire thing,” he says.

Now a freshman in Temple University’s Tyler School of Art, Metalsky is one of three students in the Central Bucks School District to be cited for a perfect score on their AP exams. He submitted 15 digital images of works of art and process documentation that demonstrated in the words of the AP citation, “sustained investigation through practice, experimentation, and revision, investigating an idea or theme that has a personal interest.”

His inquiry question was “How can stylization illustrate the boundaries of gender?”

“I wanted everyone to be able to view the art and to be able to relate back,’’ says Metalsky, whose focus at Temple is art education. “And I think when you kind of bleed the lines of masculine and feminine, you're able to do that. So, throughout the use of portraiture, I used very expressive beings and exaggerated features to capture this idea of gender expression.”

Trevor Packer, head of the Advanced Placement Program at College Board, said Metalsky’s “outstanding accomplishment is likely a direct reflection of the top-quality education being offered at Central Bucks School District. “We applaud Michael's hard work and the AP teacher responsible for engaging students and enabling them to excel in a college-level course.”

That instructor was Helene Moriarty, who teaches fine arts at CB East. She says, “Michael was an amazing student who I had the pleasure of having in my AP Art & Design class last school year. It was a joy to see him grow and flourish in his artmaking, with each piece becoming more profound and compositionally dynamic. I couldn’t be any prouder of his achievements!”

Metalsky, from Doylestown, is the middle of three boys, all who have been educated through the CBSD system.

“The importance of showing your process has come up a lot at Tyler School of Art,’’ he says. “So I’m glad it was such a big part of the AP Art class and the sustained investigation process.”