From staff reports
More than 100 Beaufort County School District (BCSD) 8th Graders, including 21 from Northern Beaufort County schools, have been honored for being named Junior Scholars by the South Carolina Department of Education.
The students and their parents were recognized at a Junior Scholars celebration sponsored by the Beaufort County School District.
“These students have shown phenomenal potential, as their selection as Junior Scholars demonstrates,” Superintendent Frank Rodriguez said in a news release. “I know they will work hard on achieving their potential, and it will be our educators’ joy to support them on this journey.”
The featured speaker was Ava Gerschutz, a Bluffton High School senior accepted to Purdue University who shared her experiences since being named a Junior Scholar in middle school, emphasizing that receiving college credit for her high school courses will assist in advancing her timeline to become a pilot.
“My hard work in school was very beneficial because now in college, instead of taking a lot of English or math classes, I will be able to take more aviation-related classes,” Gerschutz said. “When you are thinking about what you might want to do for a career or in college, taking those advanced classes will really pay off.”
The Junior Scholars Program was developed by the South Carolina Department of Education to identify 8th Graders with exceptional academic talent and to develop strategies for inclusion into special programs that facilitate intellectual growth, broaden individual interests, and promote scholastic achievement. The program includes a process for screening, identifying, and recognizing students with high scholastic achievement and intellectual ability. Eligible students include those whose PSAT/NMSQT scores are 550 or higher on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing portion or 530 or higher on the Mathematics portion.
Students who qualify as Junior Scholars receive an award of merit from the South Carolina Department of Education as well as information regarding summer academic experiences sponsored by South Carolina colleges and universities. They can use that special recognition to bolster their applications to colleges and universities.
This year’s BCSD Junior Scholars are:
Beaufort Middle School
Ivy Lin
Bluffton Middle School
Amalia Banks, Kaley Claffy, Keri Claffy, Jensen Gooding, Jackson Gullett, Jordan Heaton, Ella Holloman, Grayson Jacob, Joshua Little, Luis Lopez Sanchez, Ryan Moisiade, Marina Onofrio, Harmony Phillips, Joaquin Porto-Manfru, Chelsea Salas, Grady Theiling, River Timmerman, Macy Wersler, Finlay Wrobel, Delaney Yanok.
H.E. McCracken Middle School
Leah Benbennick, Zachary Brosman, Cooper Bruggeman, Avalyn Colleran, Gracyn Corn, Landon Dunlap, Elijah Elam, Alexander Emsley, Kate Garofalo, Abagail Greenaway, Leah Hamilton, Abigail Heyward, Joseph James, Kaplan Lafountain, Camden Masterson, Reece McCoy, Ashley McDonnell, Kim Nguyen, Braylon Oliphant, Vivian Romanelli, Parker Star, Scott Stevens, Emma Thomas, Vincent Vu, Ariel Houston, Layla Garcia.
Hilton Head Island Middle School
Sunny-Lee Alsobrook, Rhys Arlett, Brianna Caballero-Delgado, Alexandra Compher, Emma Cooper, Benjamin Drake, Trent Howard, Isaac Jimenez-Morales, Johao Jimenez, Isaac Joseph, Nolan Kabala, Samuel Knowles, Natalie Miller, Caroline Monmonier, Madelyn Montag, Ana Maria Pulgarin Diaz
Isaac Roman, Danielle Ryan, Ariadna Santiago, Stella Simpson, Bethany Wardell, Kalin Wiszowaty, Elliott Witmer.
Lady’s Island Middle School
Kimberly Comerford, Santino Comunale, Ethan Draisen, Sarah Fillinger, Temperance Grubbs, Greyson Hemby, Alanna O’Quinn, Connor Sawejko, Kyla Smith.
River Ridge Academy
Acadia Bliman, Michael Briones, Ares Durrett, Mya Gomez-Zelaya, Gavin Goodrich, Cade Kepple, Reven Mancuso, Chiara McMorrow, Cole Peltz, MacKenzie Prat, Benjamin Schroeder.
Riverview Charter School
Maddox Adcox, Madison Bernhisel, Noah Clark, Paul Cosneau, Ella Hoogenboom, Kade Knapp, Tillman Kolb, David Musselman.
Robert Smalls Leadership Academy
Laylaa Barrett, Isaac Mendez, Andrianna Schuler.
