Achievers

Academically talented seventh-graders in the United States will be recognized this spring for their exceptional scores on the ACT or SAT, and nine Tyler ISD students are among them.

The Duke University Talent Identification Program’s (Duke TIP) Seventh-grade Talent Search identifies students in 16 states in the Southeast, Midwest and Southwest who have scored in the 95th percentile on a grade-level achievement test. As part of the program, these academically talented students take above-level college-entrance exams (SAT or ACT) to learn more about their abilities.

Duke TIP hosts annual Recognition Ceremonies to honor the seventh-graders who score highest on these SAT or ACT exams. This year, of the 66,198 participants nationally, 21,115 students (32 percent) have been invited to attend State Recognition Ceremonies and 1,804 students (3 percent) have been invited to the Grand Recognition Ceremony.

The following Tyler ISD students will be recognized:

Hubbard Middle School:

Mahmoud Elkishky, State Recognition

Kathryn Funderburg, State Recognition

Francis Lewis, State Recognition

Hogg Middle School:

Christopher Zimmermann, State Recognition

Moore MST Magnet School:

Aaron Gutierrez, Grand Recognition and State Recognition

Martin Antilley, State Recognition

Jerry Frazier, State Recognition

Erin Hicks, State Recognition

Allison Snodgrass, State Recognition

“The Recognition Ceremonies are inspiring events,” said Martha Putallaz, Ph.D., Executive Director of Duke TIP and Professor of Psychology at Duke University. “It is rare that so many gifted students can come together to be honored for their achievements and encouraged by their intellectual peers. The honorees have proven, at this young age, their capacity for great things. We hope they consider their achievement to be an invitation to pursue an ambitious path in life.”

The State Recognition Ceremonies honor seventh-graders who have earned scores equal to or better than half the college-bound seniors who took the tests. Working with host academic institutions, Duke TIP sponsors 34 different State Ceremonies in its 16-state Talent Search region during the months of May and June. The students from Tyler ISD were recognized at the state ceremony at Texas A&M University in College Station on Thursday.

The Grand Recognition Ceremony honors seventh-graders who have earned scores equal to or better than 90 percent of college-bound seniors who took the same tests. The event was held May 19 at Cameron Indoor Stadium on the Duke University campus in Durham, NC.