Gatton Academy Selects Class of 2014, Expands Reach to 107 Counties

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The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky at WKU has selected 50 students for its Class of 2014.

The students in this year’s class span 37 counties from across the Commonwealth. This gifted group of high school sophomores brings with them to the Gatton Academy an average ACT score over 10 points higher than the statewide average for graduating seniors.

Last fall, 280 students began the admissions process with 175 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. Last month, 95 candidates were invited for interviews with Academy staff members and representatives from across Kentucky. In the end, 50 dynamic applicants emerged from the review process.

Tim Gott, director of the Gatton Academy, expects these students to continue the level of academic and personal engagement Academy students have demonstrated over the last five years.

“With our sixth recruited class, we continue to see the unmatched depth of ability and passion of students from across the Commonwealth,” Gott said. “These students demonstrate, once again, that the Commonwealth can compete globally in producing young women and men who will have a major impact in STEM fields.”

The selected students scored an average composite of 30.02 on the ACT and 29.8 on the math portion of the exam. The highest possible score is 36. The 2010 state average ACT score for graduating Kentucky high school seniors was a composite of 19.6.

“The strength of the members of the Gatton Academy’s Class of 2014 is a testament to the good work of educators and schools across the state,” said Corey Alderdice, the Academy’s assistant director for admissions and public relations. “We look forward to the opportunity to now partner with those districts to continue to meet the educational, social, and emotional needs of these high-ability students.  Their experiences will be the flagstone in these young people’s pursuit to lead Kentucky in the 21st century.”

The incoming class includes students from the following counties:  Bath, Boone, Boyle, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Calloway, Campbell, Christian, Clark, Crittenden, Daviess, Fayette, Fleming, Gallatin, Greenup, Hancock, Hardin, Henderson, Jefferson, Jessamine, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lincoln, Lyon, McCracken, Morgan, Nelson, Oldham, Pendleton, Perry, Pike, Trigg, Warren, Wayne, Webster, and Wolfe.

This year, four counties had students admitted to the Gatton Academy for the first time: Gallatin, Knott, Perry, and Morgan.  To date, the Gatton Academy has admitted students from 107 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 that 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.  Three-out-of-every-four Gatton Academy students also participate in a study abroad or global learning experience in locations such as Costa Rica, Italy, Greece, England, China, or Morocco.

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 fifteen such programs in the nation. In 2011, Newsweek magazine ranked the Gatton Academy as one of the nation’s top five public high schools.

Students selected for the Gatton Academy Class of 2014 are available after the jump.

From Bath County: Andrew Hughes, a student at Bath County High School whose parents are Anita and Patrick Hughes.

From Boone County: Ben Koehler, a student at Larry A. Ryle High School whose parents are Roseanna and Ronald  Koehler; Logan Mitchell, a student at Conner High School whose parents are Traci Markgraf and Scott Mitchell;  Hannah Rodgers, a student at Walton-Verona High School whose parents are Karen and Stephen Rodgers; and Logan VanWay, a student at Boone County High School whose parents are Cynthia and Jeff VanWay.

From Boyle County: Daniel Wei, a student at Boyle County High School whose parents are Lucy Huang and Alex Wei.

From Breckinridge County: John Andrew Cliburn, a student at Frederick Fraize High School whose parents are Catherine and John David Cliburn.

From Bullitt County: Annabeth Burke, a student at Bullitt East High School whose parent is Elizabeth Burke.

From Calloway County: Nate Clause, a student at Calloway County High School whose parents are Joyce and Robert Clause, Jr.

From Campbell County: Hannah Graff, a home-schooled student whose parents are Carolyn and David Graff; and Gretchen Walch, a student at Campbell County High School whose parents are Jill and Patrick Walch.

From Christian County: Elizabeth Dade, a student at Hopkinsville High School whose parent is Marlene Dade; and Trey Lachance, a student at University Heights Academy whose parents are Tanya Liberty and Steve Lachance.

From Clark County: D. J. Richardson, a student at George Rogers Clark High School whose parents are Dorotea and David Richardson.

From Crittenden County: Marcus Hughes, a student at Crittenden County High School whose parent is Mildred Hughes.

From Daviess County: Aaron Brzowski, a student at Daviess County High School whose parents are Kimberly and Chris Brzowski; and Azlin Lewis, a student at Owensboro High School whose parents are Angela Sparks and John Lewis.

From Fayette County: Carolyn Clark, a student at Henry Clay High School whose parents are Kathleen and Gregory Clark; Aline Irihamye, a student at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School whose parents are Jeanne Tuyishimire and Phocas Irihamye; and Connor VanMeter, a student at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School whose parents are Amelia and Derek VanMeter.

From Fleming County: Lindsey Porter, a student at Bath County High School whose parent is Jana Thomas.

From Gallatin County: Alex Kearns, a student at Gallatin County High School whose parents are Ruth and Mark Kearns.

From Greenup County: Rafe Tariq, a student at Russell High School whose parents are Amina and Mubashar Tariq.

From Hancock County: Matthew Turner, a student at Hancock County High School whose parents are Kathy Adkins and C. J. Turner.

From Hardin County: Naomi Kellogg, a student at John Hardin High School whose parent is Kerstin Kellogg.

From Henderson County: Joseph Crafton, a student at Henderson County Senior High School whose parents are Sherian and Marc Crafton; and Tara Prasad, a student at Reitz Memorial High School whose parents are Prasad Choragudi and Kamala Digavalli.

From Jefferson County: Harry Heyworth, a student at Ballard High School whose parents are Alison and Philip Heyworth.

From Jessamine County: Noah Dixon, a student at West Jessamine High School whose parents are Karen and Lewis Dixon.

From Knott County: Tyler McIntyre, a student at Knott County Central High School whose parents are Beth and Jeff McIntyre.

From Knox County: Nitin Krishna, a student at Corbin High School whose parents are Rekha and Anantha Krishna.

From Laurel County: Vishnu Tirumala, a student at Corbin High School whose parents are Mridula Vinjamuri and Madhusudan Tirumala.

From Lincoln County: Mary-Grace Luscher, a student at Lincoln County High School whose parents are Lisa Boone and Tim Luscher.

From Lyon County: Anna Berger, a student at Lyon County High School whose parents are Marie and Richard Berger.

From McCracken County: Grace Babbs, a student at St. Mary High School whose parents are Sheri and Scott Babbs; and Pat Osterhaus, a student at St. Mary High School whose parents are Monica and Mark Osterhaus.

From Morgan County: William Wells, a student at Morgan County High School whose parents are Cindy and William Wells.

From Nelson County: Corbin Allender, a student at Bardstown High School whose parents are Jacqueline and Gary Allender; and Lindsey Shain, a student at Bardstown High School whose parents are Corinne and David Shain.

From Oldham County: Ajit Deshpande, a student at Oldham County High School whose parents are Meera and Raj Deshpande; and Samantha Dinga, a student at Oldham County High School whose parents are Mary Therese and Michael Dinga.

From Pendleton County: Dominque Thayer, a student at Pendleton County High School whose parents are Brandi and Zack Thayer.

From Perry County: Mariah Tiller, a student at Perry County Central High School whose parent is Shelia Tiller.

From Pike County: Alex Malone, a student at Pikeville High School whose parents are Lisa and Tim Malone.

From Trigg County: Kassy Harris, a student at University Heights Academy whose parents are Jill and Guy Harris.

From Warren County: Shania Polson, a student at Warren Central High School whose parents are Michelle and Phillip Neal and Flint Polson; and Kevin Ziegler, a student at Bowling Green High School whose parents are Uta Ziegler and Claus Ernst.

From Wayne County: Sarah Angelle, a student at Monticello High School whose parents are Jill and Michael Angelle.

From Webster County: Curtis Hardison, a student at Webster County High School whose parents are Melissa and Joe Hardison.

From Wolfe County: Zachery Gevedon, a student at Wolfe County High School whose parents are Amy and Dana Gevedon.

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

Admissions, Class of 2014, selection