Educational Leaps: High school seniors lead country in competitive exams

Our View

It’s hard to be believe that some people think our tax dollars are being wasted on education when there has been a great deal of success brewing here at the high school due to some very special seniors.

First, definitely deserving of congratulations is Jesse Streicher on receiving a perfect score (36) on his ACT.

Streicher’s success is truly one in a million since, according to the American College Testing website, less than one-tenth of 1 percent of test-takers nationwide receive such top marks.

Streicher and Nate Hua were also announced as Commended National Merit Scholars in the National Merit Scholarship Competition, and Laura Streicher, Beth Kosmicki and Ryan Giarusso are Semi-Finalists for their recent success in the 57th Annual National Merit Scholarship.

They are now among 16,000 participants competing for a total of 8,300 scholarships, which adds up to about $34 million total.

This is an extremely prestigious honor for these individuals, and they should be commended for their academic success.

Last but not least, also deserving of the spotlight are Rhydian Talbot and Gwen Farber for their accomplishments in receiving the National Council of Teachers of English award.

These two are among only five students from Iowa to receive this competitive writing award.

Every one of these students has proven that education is the the key to success.

We can get no where without the foundations of learning.