Having a student named as a South Carolina Junior Scholar is a big deal for any school district, but having nearly 100 of them to earn the outstanding academic honor is even more exciting.
The Aiken County Public School District is pleased to announce that 92 eighth-grade students – or five percent of the District’s total middle school population – have earned distinction as South Carolina Junior Scholars for the 2017-18 school year. Four percent of the District’s eighth-grade students earned same honor during the 2016-17 school year.
“Achieving such prestigious designation as a South Carolina Junior Scholar is a tremendous mark of academic distinction for our students, and we are very proud of all those students who have earned this honor,” commented Dr. DeeDee Washington, Chief Officer of Instruction for Aiken County Public Schools. “Although we had nearly 100 eighth-grade students to be named as Junior Scholars, we know many more have similar abilities, and we want to challenge and encourage them to continue to stretch themselves academically.”
The Junior Scholars program identifies students and provides opportunities that will facilitate their intellectual growth, broaden their individual interests, and promote their scholastic achievement. Recognition as a Junior Scholar provides students with access to statewide summer opportunities with participating South Carolina colleges and universities. Students may also note this special recognition on their technical college and university applications.
The South Carolina Department of Education implemented the South Carolina Junior Scholars Program three decades ago to identify eighth-grade students with exceptional academic talent.
There is no application to become a Junior Scholar. Students must meet stringent eligibility criteria, including receiving a score of 550 or higher on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing assessments, or a score of 530 or higher on the Mathematics section of the PSAT/NMSQT.
Students may also qualify for the South Carolina Junior Scholars Program by meeting eligibility criteria as participants in Duke University’s Talent Identification Program (TIP) during their seventh-grade year, or through recognition by Duke TIP at the State or National recognition ceremony.
The following Aiken County Public School District students have earned academic distinction as 2017-18 South Carolina Junior Scholars:
(A.L. CORBETT MIDDLE SCHOOL) Meagan Fortune, Ayden Franks, Lauren Jackson, and Drew Young; (JACKSON MIDDLE SCHOOL) Jennifer Cork and Mallorie V. Gray; (KENNEDY MIDDLE SCHOOL) Madison Ackroyd, Jumanah Al-Soudi, Michael Bell, Garrett Boswell, Robin Boyd, Brenden Brotherson, Dylan Brown, Kate Brunton, Benjamin Coghill, Hannah Dickson, Aiden Fox, Brandon Glenn, Kayla Goldschmidt, Kaitlyn Golyski, Zachary Goolsby, Kendall Hopkins, David Kingery, Carter Neher, Wesley Oakley, Grace Ouzts, Emily Pearson, Andrew Pencille, Emma Poteat, Gabriel Ramirez, Haven Rasmusson, Aiden Roemmich, John Spivey, Luke Stringfield, Andrew Tozier and McKayla Walcott; (LANGLEY-BATH CLEARWATER MIDDLE SCHOOL) Morgan Brown, Everett Cameron, Hailey Evans, Corben Johnson, Makayla Pilot, Samantha Rollins, and Palmer Wiggins; (LEAVELLE MCCAMPBELL MIDDLE SCHOOL) Kristen Franklin, Jakob Lyle, Raymond Lynn, Ashley Oerman, David Roy, Brett Skipper and Emma Troup; (NEW ELLENTON MIDDLE SCHOOL) Brianna Burns, Gabriel Felkel, Ashton Johnson and Shayden Wood; (NORTH AUGUSTA MIDDLE SCHOOL) Annsley Baxley, Emily Bee, Kylie Brady, Katherine Cannon, Hannah Cutshall, Joshua Davis, Aidan Hadley, Richard Havasy, Jaivin Heera, Ian Hurley, Aaron Lawson, Taloria Scott, Sydney Stephens, Brooklyn Turner, Ellis Waters and Alexandria Wilson; (PAUL KNOX MIDDLE SCHOOL) Nathan Bear, Gabriel Beckett, Thomas Burch, Tanner Harmon, Stephen Harmon, Noah Lindler, Rebecca Noyce, Evan Prickett, Michael Pruitt, Harrison Rogers, Patricia Slusher and Haley Winburn; (SCHOFIELD MIDDLE SCHOOL) Ellakyn Brinkley, Abby Christensen, Lawson Cline, Lila Dawson, Nathan Frady, Haley Gunnels, Franklyn Howard, Gracie Poulton, Ronald Rahenkamp and Erykah Williams.
LINK TO DISTRICT PRESS RELEASE: 2018 PR JUNIOR SCHOLARS