March 2010 – The Gatton Academy News

Gatton Academy Selects Class of 2012, Expands Total Enrollment to 128 Students

March 31, 2010 | Admissions, News, WKU | No Comments

Geographic distribution for students applying to the Gatton Academy Class of 2012.

The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky at Western Kentucky University has selected 61 students for its Class of 2012.

The students in this year’s class span 38 counties from across the Commonwealth. This gifted group of high school sophomores brings with them to the Gatton Academy an average ACT score almost 10 points higher than the statewide average for graduating seniors.

Last fall, 275 students began the admissions process with 125 students qualifying for review. Students were reviewed based on ACT/SAT scores, high school grades, awards, extracurricular activities, responses to essay questions, and letters of recommendation. Earlier this month, 85 candidates were invited for interviews with Academy staff members and representatives from across Kentucky. In the end, 61 dynamic applicants emerged from the review process.

When faced with the talented pool of applicants, Tim Gott, the Academy’s director, knew the program needed to find a way to meet the needs of a greater number of students. Consulting with Academy staff members, a decision was made to expand the student body to 128 students beginning in fall 2010, an increase of nearly 7 percent.

Gott expects these students to continue the level of academic and personal engagement Academy students have demonstrated over the last three years.

“As we begin planning for our fourth year at the Gatton Academy, I am amazed and honored to work with such outstanding students,” Gott said. “The incoming Class of 2012 once again demonstrates the incredible caliber of students from across the Commonwealth. The depth of academic strength and emerging leadership among this group reveals that the state is making a major contribution toward meeting the demand for more professionals in the STEM fields.”

The selected students scored an average composite of 29.2 on the ACT and 29.5 on the math portion of the exam. The highest possible score is 36. The 2009 state average ACT score for graduating Kentucky high school seniors was a composite of 19.4.

“The members of the Gatton Academy’s Class of 2012 have demonstrated they are ready for a greater academic challenge,” said Corey Alderdice, the Academy assistant director for admissions and public relations. “They will bring to WKU a variety of passions and abilities. Our goal will be to sharpen those skills as they grow and mature both academically and socially. Their experiences will be the flagstone in their pursuit to lead Kentucky in the 21st century.”

The incoming class includes students from the following counties: Boone, Bourbon, Boyd, Boyle, Breathitt, Bullitt, Calloway, Campbell, Carroll, Carter, Christian, Clay, Clinton, Daviess, Graves, Hancock, Hardin, Henderson, Henry, Jefferson, Jessamine, Kenton, Larue, Laurel, Logan, Madison, Mercer, Montgomery, Nelson, Oldham, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Russell, Simpson, Todd, Warren, Wayne and Whitley.

Students from eight new counties were admitted to the Gatton Academy this year.

This year, eight counties had students admitted to the Gatton Academy for the first time: Breathitt, Carroll, Clay, Clinton, Montgomery, Rockcastle, Russell and Todd.

To date, the Gatton Academy has admitted students from 95 of Kentucky’s 120 counties.

The goals of the Gatton Academy are to enable Kentucky’s exceptional young scientists and mathematicians to learn in an environment which offers advanced educational opportunities, preparing them for leadership roles in Kentucky. Moreover, the Gatton Academy assists in preparing Kentucky to compete in a knowledge-based economy by increasing the number of scientists and engineers who live and work in the state.

Students will finish their junior and senior years of high school living in Schneider Hall and taking courses offered by WKU. At the end of their two-year course of study, they will graduate from high school and have earned at least 60 college credit hours.

The Academy provides a rich living/learning environment designed specifically for academically talented adolescent students that features clubs, organizations and community service. Additionally students are able to participate in advanced research with WKU faculty members. Research conducted during students’ time at the Gatton Academy has been honored in the nationally competitive Siemens Competition, Intel Science Talent Search, Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program, and the Department of Defense Science, Math, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship Program.

The Gatton Academy is Kentucky’s only state-supported, residential program for high school students with interests in advanced science and math careers and one of sixteen such programs in the nation. In 2009, Newsweek magazine honored the Academy as one of 16 “Public Elite” American high schools.
More information about the Gatton Academy is available online at http://www.wku.edu/academy/.

Students selected for the Gatton Academy Class of 2012

From Boone County: John Ferguson, a student at Cooper High School whose parents are Martha Ferguson and Philip Ferguson; Samantha Hawtrey, a student at Ryle High School whose parents are Claire Hawtrey and Thomas Hawtrey; Lori Lovell, a student at Boone County High School whose parents are Sarah Lovell and Joseph Lovell; and Daniel Dilger, a student at Ryle High School whose parents are Tonya Dilger and Johannes Dilger.

From Bourbon County: Brandon Farmer, a student at Bourbon County High School whose parents are Lisa Farmer and Charles Farmer.

From Boyd County: Curtlyn Kramer, a student at Paul G. Blazer High School whose parents are Betty Rice-Kramer and Curtis Kramer; and Jessica Farrell, a student at Boyd County High School whose parents are Annette Farrell and David Farrell.

From Boyle County: Lukas Missik, a student at Boyle County High School whose parents are Christine Missik and John Missik.

From Breathitt County: Hunter Noble, a student at Breathitt County High School whose parents are Cindy Noble and Gregory Noble.

From Bullitt County: Layne Webb, a student at Bullitt East High School whose parents are Judith Webb and Kevin Webb; Alex Gutierrez, a student at Bullitt East High School whose parents are Bobbi Gutierrez and Leroy Gutierrez; and Anthony Gutierrez, a student at Bullitt East High School whose parents are Bobbi Gutierrez and Leroy Gutierrez.

From Calloway County: Hannah Miller, a student at Murray High School whose parents are Diane Miller and Jeff Miller; and Hannalore Clause, a student at Calloway County High School whose parents are Joyce Clause and Robert Clause.

From Campbell County: Lydia Clark, a student at Campbell County High School whose parents are Dawn Clark and Troy Clark.

From Carroll County: Luke Yap, a student at Carroll County High School whose parents are Tracey Yap and Winston Yap.

From Carter County: Jaymi Porter, a student at West Carter High School whose parent is Jay Porter.

From Christian County: Breck Turner, a student at Hopkinsville High School whose parents are Wendy Turner and William Turner; and Amelia Winters, a student at Christian County High School whose parents are Patrice Johnson-Winters and Tommy Winters.

From Clay County: Caroline Stivers, a student at Clay County High School whose parents are Nancy Stivers and Robert Stivers.

From Clinton County: Ellis Shelley; a student at Clinton County High School whose parent is Charlotte Shelley Bernard.

From Daviess County: William Bickett, a student at Owensboro Catholic High School whose parents are Karen Bickett and Gary Bickett; Leah Wilson, a student at Daviess County High School whose parents are Jean Wilson and Jeff Wilson; and Gabrielle Canant, a student at Daviess County High School whose parents are Paula Canant and Kenneth Canant.

From Graves County: Andrea Eastes, a student at Paducah-Tilghman High School whose parents are Chrissy Eastes and Jeff Eastes; and Daylynn Allison, a student from Graves County High School whose parents are Carrie Burnett and Douglas Allison.

From Hancock County: Jon Warren, a student at Hancock County High School whose parent is DiAnn Warren.

From Hardin County: Matthew Mattingly, a student from Elizabethtown High School whose parents are Jennifer Mattingly and James Mattingly; Samantha McKean, a student at Central Hardin High School whose parents are Julie McKean and John McKean; Landon Wilcox, a student from Elizabethtown High School whose parents are Angela Wilcox and Dale Wilcox; and Cameron Kispert, a student from John Hardin High School whose parents are Jeanine and Kenneth Kispert.

From Henderson County: Christian Jolly, a student from Henderson County High School whose parents are Michelle Jolly and Scott Jolly.

From Henry County: Rachel Metcalfe, a student from Eminence High School whose parents are Tina Stambaugh and Steve Metcalfe.

From Jefferson County: Taylor Leet, a student from Louisville Male High School whose parents are Tila Leet and Allen Leet.

From Jessamine County: Jesse Matherly, a student from West Jessamine High School whose parents are Cindy Matherly and Steve Matherly.

From Kenton County: Logan Eckler, a student from Ludlow High School whose parent is Donna Eckler.

From Larue County: Mary Greenwell, a student from Central Hardin High School whose parents are Neda Greenwell and Paul Greenwell.

From Laurel County: Alexandra DeCarlo, a student from South Laurel High School whose parents are Karen DeCarlo and Anthony DeCarlo.

From Logan County: Victoria Allen, a student from Logan County High School whose parent is Jennifer Allen.

From Madison County: Laura Claytor, a student from Berea Community High School whose parents are Kim Claytor and Joe Claytor.

From Mercer County: Tennesse Joyce, a student from Mercer County High School whose parents are Chantal Joyce and Tim Joyce.

From Montgomery County: Nicholas Zolman, a student from Montgomery County High School whose parents are Katherine Zolman and Mitchell Zolman.

From Nelson County: Rebecca Brown, a student at Nelson County High School whose parents are Susan Brown and Brian Brown; Charlotte Humes, a student at Nelson County High School whose parents are Suzanne Coombs and Louis Humes; and Barbara Still, a student at Nelson County High School whose parent is Arneida Harrise.

From Oldham County: Paul Fleischmann, a student at South Oldham High School whose parents are Maria Fleischmann and Randall Fleischmann.

From Pulaski County: Benjamin Rice, a student at Somerset Christian School whose parents are Jessie Rice and Richard Rice; Melanie Hurst, a student at Southwestern High School whose parents are Treba Hurst and David Hurst; and Aaron Stolze, a student Southwestern High School whose parents are Lisa Stolze and Jason Stolze.

From Rockcastle County: Caroline Green, a student at Rockcastle County High School whose parent is Christie Green.

From Russell County: William Brown, a student at Russell County High School whose parents are Karen Brown and James Brown.

From Simpson County: David Sekora, a student at Franklin-Simpson High School whose parents are Marschelle Sekora and Peter Sekora; and Joseph Tutor, a student at Franklin-Simpson High School whose parents are Tiffany Wilson and Scott Wilson.

From Todd County: Annie Wheeler, a student at Todd County Central High School whose parents are Makka Wheeler and Gerald Wheeler, III.

From Warren County: Michael Crocker, a student at Bowling Green High School whose parents are Patricia Crocker and Scott Crocker; Austin Taing, a student at Greenwood High School whose parent is Yong Taing; Markus Ernst, a student at Bowling Green High School whose parents are Uta Ziegler and Claus Ernst; Jordan Currie, a student at Warren Central High School whose parents are Tamara O’Nan and Christopher Currie; and Holly Morris, a student at Bowling Green High School whose parents are Cindy Morris and Tim Morris.

From Wayne County: Victoria Pulsifer, a student at Monticello High School whose parent is Kathleen Martin.

From Whitley County: Emily Croley, a student at Williamsburg High School whose parent is Debra Croley.

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu and at http://wkunews.wordpress.com/. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Corey Alderdice at (270) 745-2971

By Corey Alderdice

Gatton Academy Student, Alumni Honored at State HOSA Conference

March 30, 2010 | Alumni, News, People, Student Success, WKU | No Comments

WKU students have qualified for national competition by placing at the Kentucky Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) State Leadership Conference.

Victoria Bertke, a senior pre-med major from Reynolds Station and Gatton Academy alumna, and Matthew Kirk, a junior biology major from Livermore and Gatton Academy alumnus, won the post-secondary division for CPR/first aid.

Emily Hall, a Nicholasville student in the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky at WKU, won the post-secondary division in medical math.

The state competition was March 9-13 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Louisville and gave students the opportunity to participate in health-related competitions and educational symposiums. Students finishing first, second or third in each competition qualify to compete at the national HOSA conference in Orlando June 22-26.

HOSA is a national student organization endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education. Established in 1976, its mission is to enhance the delivery of compassionate, quality health care by providing opportunities for knowledge, skill and leadership development of all health science technology education students and helping students meet the needs of the health care community.

WKU’s HOSA chapter is sponsored by the South Central Area Health Education Center in WKU’s College of Health and Human Services.

For more information, contact Amy Wininger at (270) 745-6265.

By Corey Alderdice

[Video Blog] Corey is Ready to Click “Send” and Announce the Class of 2012

March 26, 2010 | Admissions, News, People, Staff, Video | No Comments

[Video Blog] Corey is Ready to Click “Send” and Announce the Class of 2012 from Gatton Academy on Vimeo.

After seven months of information, reflection, and review, we’re excited to send out admissions notifications to the Gatton Academy’s Class of 2012. The students invited to join the Class of 2012 consist of 61 male and 61 female students. These individuals represent 38 counties across the Commonwealth. We’re particularly excited to share the inclusion of 8 new counties with the Class of 2012. To date, the Gatton Academy has served the needs of students from 95 of Kentucky’s 120 counties.

You’ll see Corey show the map in the video. This represents the initial offers of admission. The map, which is featured below, may change based on any declinations of our offers of admission.

The geographic distribution for the Gatton Academys Class of 2010. — The geographic distribution for the Gatton Academy's Class of 2012.

By Corey Alderdice

Academy Students Capture Top Honors at FBLA Regional Conference

March 25, 2010 | News, People, Student Life, Student Success | No Comments

Several Gatton Academy students took top honors at the 2010 Western Regional Future Busniess Leaders of America (FBLA) Conference, including five first place awards.

Each of the nine students who competed were honored as finalists in their respective events.

Students will advance to the Kentucky State Leadership Conference. This year’s event will be held at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville April 15-17, 2010.

FBLA-PBL is the largest business career student organization in the world. The high school division has 215,000 members, while the postsecondary division reaches over 11,000 college students. The newest group, FBLA-Middle Level, is showing remarkable growth with nearly 15,000 student members. Finally, the Professional Division has reached over 3,000 members. Over 11,000 advisers round out the group. Exclusive membership and career recognition programs are designed for each division to provide additional personal and chapter development opportunities.

Students honored include:

Rohith Palli (Fayette ’10), first place in Business Calculations
Sarah Schrader (Warren ’11), first place in Business Communications
Thomas Choate (Warren ’10), first place in Economics
Katie Brown (Spencer ’10), first place in Marketing
Cody Feldhaus (Boone ’10), first place in Personal Finance
Stephen King (Carlisle ’10), second place in Business Law
Justin Jactzak (Christian ’10), second place in Technology Concepts
Tejas Sangoi (Daviess ’11), third place in Business Procedures
Anna Walter (Boone ’10), finalist in Interview

Stephanie Davis, a former Academy residential counselor and current WKU graduate student, serves as the chapter’s sponsor. She expressed pride not only in the team’s accomplishments but also their attitude.

“I am incredibly proud of the work that our students have done and the way they represent Gatton Academy,” she said. “Our FBLA students made a strong showing at the Regional Leadership Conference this year, demonstrating yet again that Gatton Academy students are versatile and well-rounded. These students continue to set the bar high for those who will follow in their footsteps.”

Part of the Gatton Academy’s mission is to train students to think entrepreneurially while becoming the Commonwealth’s future leader. Davis believes those skills contribute their future roles in STEM fields.

“Many of our current students will go on to open their own medical practices, engineering firms, or research labs,” Davis explained. “Other students will be managers and supervisors in their STEM fields. The Future Business Leaders of America gives students the opportunity to start learning the skills critical for business success. With a strong business foundation from their FBLA experience, Gatton Academy students will be able to smoothly transition from course work to business leadership. In this way, FBLA is a tremendous asset in preparing students to become the community leaders of tomorrow.

The FBLA concept was developed in 1937 by Dr. Hamden L. Forkner of Columbia University. The first high school chapter was chartered in Johnson City, Tennessee on February 3, 1942. In 1958, the first PBL collegiate chapter was chartered in Iowa. The Professional Division, originally the Alumni Division, began in 1979. Joining FBLA-PBL in 1994 was the FBLA-Middle Level for students in grades 5-9.

For more information, contact Corey Alderdice at (270) 745-6565.

By Corey Alderdice

[Corey’s Comments] Celebrating the Legacy of Ada Lovelace through the Work of Today’s Women in STEM

March 24, 2010 | News, People, Staff, WKU | No Comments

Today marks a unique celebration for a little known figure in history and science: Ada Lovelace.

Ada Lovelace was born in 1815. Lovelace was one of the world’s first computer programmers, and one of the first people to see computers as more than just a machine for doing sums. She wrote programs for Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, a general-purpose computing machine, despite the fact that it was never built. She also wrote the very first description of a computer and of software.

You can read more on the Finding Ada website’s About page or Wikipedia.

Even though her accomplishments are almost two centuries old, history has often lost sight of the countless women who have contributed to the discoveries and discourse that mark some of the greatest achievements in human thought.

Somewhere around fifty years ago, the closest relationship many people observed between women and technology was the vacuum cleaner. It has often been lamented that STEM subjects (science, technology, mathematics, and engineering) are male-dominated fields that are unwelcoming to women. When talking about the Academy to people across the state, I often hear the assumption that we have more male students in our program than females or that there must be way more young men who apply to the program than women. Of course our program is home to sixty female and female students each year.

Perhaps more interesting is the fact that our applicant pool is extremely balanced in terms of male and female applicants, with each previous year fielding applications from more young women than men.

Those 120 students selected to attend the Gatton Academy are pretty lucky to study under and learn from outstanding female educators and professionals. In preparation for writing this article, Tim and I sat in his office listing off the female faculty members who daily deliver engaging lectures, sponsor students in their labs, involve them in their own pursuits, and serve as mentors for our developing young scholars.

Today, we celebrate the legacy of Ada Lovelace by showing our appreciation for women in STEM and the young women who will one day lead in those fields. Ada Lovelace Day is an international day of blogging to draw attention to the achievements of women in technology and science. Over the last fifty hours, over 2000 individuals from across the world have shared stories about their favorite heroines, mentors, and pioneers. In celebration of Ada Lovelace Day, I asked several female faculty members to weigh in on the role of women in STEM.

Certainly one of the greatest challenges ahead is getting more young women interested in math and science from an early age. This past weekend, Ogden College hosted it’s Girls in Science Day, an event that was featured on the front page of the Sunday edition of the Bowling Green Daily News.

Dr. Uda Ziegler, a professor of computer science at WKU, related some of the major issues that face educators and professionals in cultivating interest in these fields: the examples of STEM (robots, the moon landing, Star Wars, etc.) are geared toward stereotypical male interests; the lack of portrayal of successful women in media in STEM fields; that young women are often more critical of their accomplishments and, as a consequence, often decide they are not “cut out” for STEM; and a substantial attrition of female interest in STEM between grades five and twelve. As these young women enter college and are on the cusp of professional life, they have to juggle the concept of family and perceived social norms.

As Dr. Ziegler so keenly notes, the challenges are many. Dr. Stacy Wilson, a professor of engineering at WKU, added that generating interest requires a balance to “help young women understand that there is great potential for them to have meaningful careers in the STEM disciplines. However, it is also important to equip them with the skills they need to be successful.”

In many ways, though, the key to increasing female interest in STEM is to cultivate an interest in these subjects in all students, noted Dr. Cheryl Davis, a professor of biology. “We must do a better job of teaching science and math to all children,” she said, “especially at the elementary and middle school levels.”

Some of the greatest examples of high-level learning in math and science are found each year in the Intel Science Talent Search. High school students from across the country demonstrate that innovation is not constrained to the future or advanced degrees. Young women and men are already shaping the discourse that will be important in fashioning the role of America in STEM this century.

In Saturday’s New York Times, columnist Thomas Friedman, a friend of STEM and author of such books as The World is Flat, shared his experiences at this year’s awards ceremony. His passion for these subjects is clear. One passage from the column struck me as quite powerful:

Seriously, ESPN or MTV should broadcast the Intel finals live. All of the 40 finalists are introduced, with little stories about their lives and aspirations. Then the winners of the nine best projects are announced. And finally, with great drama, the overall winner of the $100,000 award for the best project of the 40 is identified. This year it was Erika Alden DeBenedictis of New Mexico for developing a software navigation system that would enable spacecraft to more efficiently “travel through the solar system.” After her name was called, she was swarmed by her fellow competitor-geeks.

Young women like Erika are the future of STEM. At the Gatton Academy, we’re happy to help provide female and male students with the experiences and momentum to change the world through research, inquiry, and innovation in science and math.

I think Ada would be proud of the work we’re doing, our outstanding mentors, and the infinite possibilities ahead.

By Corey Alderdice

Gatton Academy to Sponsor Chess Grandmaster Lecture, Demonstration at WKU Open

March 23, 2010 | News, Student Life, WKU | No Comments

The WKU Knights Chess Club will host the second annual WKU Open on April 10.

Tournament play will begin at 10 a.m. at Garrett Conference Center. On-site registration will begin at 8 a.m.

The WKU Open will include an adult section as well as college team and scholastic (K-12) individual/team tournaments.

Tournament information, including fees and other registration details, is available online at http://www.hilltopperchess.net.

In addition, the first 35 children who register will have a chance to meet Grandmaster and world-class chess player Jaan Ehlvest at 6 p.m. April 9. Ehlvest will present a lecture then play the 35 children simultaneously. His visit is sponsored by the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky.

World-class chess player and International Master Todd Andrews also will be participating in the event. Both Ehlvest and Andrews are members from the Nashville Chess Center and supportive of the WKU initiative to expand scholastic and community chess programs throughout the region.

For information about the WKU Open, contact Samuel J. Hunt at (918) 809-6278 or email hilltopperchess@live.com.

By Corey Alderdice

[Video Blog] Mad, Leah, and Corban Get Chatty on Interview Day

March 20, 2010 | Admissions, News, People, Student Life, Video | No Comments

[Video Blog] Mad, Leah, and Corban Get Chatty on Interview Day from Gatton Academy on Vimeo.

Interview Day is one of the coolest days of the year at the Gatton Academy. It’s the time when the past, present, and the future come together in a really special event. What makes the day so great is that our current students take such an interest in their incoming classmates that they spend an entire Saturday getting to know our prospective candidates. In our latest video blog, three students are glad the day is here. They’re even more glad that they’re not the ones who are being interviewed. Well, interviewed for admissions, at least.

By Corey Alderdice

WKU to Host Girls in Science Day on March 20

March 17, 2010 | News, WKU | No Comments

WKU’s annual Girls in Science Day will be held Saturday (March 20).

The event is an opportunity for girls in grades 4-7 to meet with leading scientists at WKU, ask questions and participate in activities involving science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The all-day event begins at 8 a.m. with registration in the Thompson Complex Central Wing lobby followed at 8:30 with an introduction by Observatory Education Scientist Rachel Campbell in Snell Hall Auditorium.

Between 9 a.m. and 11:45 a.m., girls will participate in three classes at various locations in Ogden College of Science and Engineering. They can choose from 12 classes including the life of a bee keeper, volcanoes, seeing the tricks behind optical illusions and building your own lunar rover.

The lunar rover class will include an interactive demonstration of a lunar excavator being constructed for a NASA robot competition by the WKU Department of Engineering’s “Lunabotics” Team.

The students will have lunch at noon in Snell Hall Auditorium. A Chemistry Magic Show (which is open to the students’ parents) will begin at 1:15 in Snell Hall Auditorium to conclude the day’s events.

For more information, contact Rachel Campbell at (270) 745-5940.

By Corey Alderdice

Jones, Pritchett Named Candidates for 2010 Presidential Scholars Program

March 16, 2010 | News, People, Student Success | No Comments

Jordan Jones (Kenton ’10) and Sarah Pritchett (Clark ’10) are among sixty high school juniors and seniors completing high school at the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky.

At this time of the year, their thoughts—and those of other seniors across the country—are on college admissions and scholarships. Recently, the two students received word that they’re part of a group even more select than the Gatton Academy.

Both Jones and Pritchett were named candidates for the 2010 Presidential Scholarship Program.

For Jones, the news of the honor came as a bit of a surprise.

“I’m more excited now that I understand what the program is,” she said. “Before I got nominated, I’d never heard of it. It’s nice to receive recognition for doing well on a standardized test, but intimidating at the same time, because I know every other candidate performed well, too.”

All graduating high school seniors who are citizens of the United States and have scored exceptionally well on either the SAT or the ACT college admission test during the two-year window that begins in September, 2007 and runs through October, 2009, are automatically considered for participation.

For Academy students, the ACT and SAT are tests they have experienced since middle school.

“I didn’t ever get too nervous about the ACT and SAT,” Pritchett said. “In fact, I think I felt more relaxed taking them than I do when I take regular exams for one of my classes. It also helps me to take each

section as it comes, instead of focusing on the fact that the entire test will take three to four hours.”

The U.S. Department of Education then looks at test records for the top 30 males and top 30 females in each of the states/jurisdictions. The combined file of scores from the top male examinees and top female examinees are then ranked from high to low in each state. The scores associated with the top 20 male examinees and top 20 female examinees are used to identify the candidates in each state. When ties occur in the cut off score, more than 20 persons of that gender are selected in that state.

After being notified of their selection, Jones and Pritchett submitted candidacy materials, including essays, self-assessments, secondary school reports, and transcripts. Candidates are evaluated on their academic achievement, personal characteristics, leadership and service activities, and an analysis of their essay.

Many of those achievements and experiences will come from the time they’ve spent as students at the Gatton Academy.

“The Gatton Academy has provided me with so many opportunities that I wouldn’t have had at a regular high school,” Jones said. “Besides receiving a more rigorous education, I’ve developed good relationships

with the professors and great friendships with other students–from Gatton and WKU–and I’ve been able to pursue interests outside of academics. There are still difficult moments, but at the end of each day I remember how thankful I am to have this privilege. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without the Gatton Academy.”

Pritchett added that the Academy helped her grow both academically and as a person.

“Choosing to apply to the Academy was one of the best decisions I have made,” she said. “It has opened so many opportunities, from research to the chance to be a part of such a close community.”

Later this month, approximately 500 semifinalists are chosen by an independent, national committee of educators convened by the Commission on Presidential Scholars. Six to twenty semifinalists are identified for each state/jurisdiction by the review committee. The number of semifinalists identified per state/jurisdiction is based on a proportionate number of test takers for that state.

In April, the Commission on Presidential Scholars makes the final selection of the 121 students. One young man and one young woman are chosen from each state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and from families of U.S. citizens living abroad. In addition, up to 15 students are chosen at large.

A list of students nationwide selected as Candidates for the President Scholars Program is available online at: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/psp/2010/candidates.pdf.

For more information, contact Corey Alderdice (270) 745-6565.

By Corey Alderdice

Sarah Schrader Earns Perfect Score on PSAT

March 16, 2010 | Academics, News, People, Student Success | No Comments

Sarah Schrader (Warren ’11) has taken more than a few tests in her life. Sure, there are the regular classroom assessments. To become an Academy student, she even took the ACT as a high school sophomore.

As a student at the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, she tests herself daily with challenging classes and research projects through the Chinese Language Flagship and HHMI National Genomics Research Initiative at Western Kentucky University.

Shortly after becoming an Academy student, though, there was just one test she had on her mind: the PSAT.

Along with her classmates in the Class of 2011—and over 3.5 millions peers nationwide—Schrader took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test in fall 2009.

What makes Schrader’s story different is that she received a perfect score on the test.

The PSAT/NMSQT measures critical reading skills, math problem-solving skills, and writing skills. Each section is worth 80 points. Schrader received a score of 240.

The good news came as a bit of a surprise. When returning from an Academy field trip to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, she received a phone call from her father telling her that Mr. Gott, the Gatton Academy’s director, needed to speak to her “right now.”

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Schrader added. “I didn’t remember doing anything that would invoke such urgency, and wondered if maybe I was in trouble for something.”

She promptly telephoned Gott, who informed her that the PSAT scores had arrived. Gott, who couldn’t help but spoil the surprise, told Schrader she reached her goal.

“I was extremely excited,” Schrader said. “240 had been my goal, but I hadn’t been sure I could do it. Of course I was incredibly happy to have achieved it!”

Schrader believes familiarity with the test helped her performance.

“I didn’t really do a lot of prep,” she said. “I took the test as a sophomore, and so I had a pretty good idea of what it would be like already. I did go over the practice test and look at a few example problems and vocabulary words, but other than that I didn’t do much. I felt like I should be doing more, but I guess it turned out fine!”

PSAT/NMSQT is a program cosponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation. It’s a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT^®. It also gives students a chance to enter NMSC scholarship programs and gain access to college and career planning tools.

The average score for a Gatton Academy Class of 2011 student was 189. Twenty-four students scored 200 or higher on the exam.

In fall 2010, students will be notified if they achieved the status of National Merit Semifinalist.

For more information, contact Corey Alderdice at (270) 745-6565.

By Corey Alderdice

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Month: March 2010