Shelby High School students honored for ACT achievements
Twelve high-achieving students from Shelby High School are being honored for their exceptional performance on the ACT.
Achieving scores of 30 or above, the students demonstrated outstanding academic prowess, earning recognition Feb. 19 at the Shelby Board of Education meeting where they were recognized.
The students are Russell Cole, Nic Eyster, Cadence Fairchild, Aryn Frangella, Lillian Heydinger, Sadie Howarth, Luke Lesseuer, Toby Randall, Kailyn Schwall, Eli Schwemley, Michael Vogt, and Ray Williams.
“These are some of our brightest and best,” high school principal John Gies said, mentioning their involvement in various school activities, notably the FFA, the school’s largest student organization.
“To score a 30 or higher on the ACT is pretty impressive,” Gies told the school board, highlighting the exam’s comprehensive coverage of English, math, reading, and science, and its role in preparing students for college and scholarship opportunities.
“A score of 30 puts them in the 93rd percentile, which means they scored higher than 93% of anybody in the country who took that test,” he added, emphasizing the national significance of their scores.
The students had two hours and 55 minutes to answer a total of 215 questions.
“And it is a content knowledge test,” Gies said. “They don’t give you much time to do these things, so they want to see how much you know.”
A score is given for each subject, and then those four are averaged together to get the composite score. The highest score possible is a 36, Gies said.
Among the top scorers, Fairchild, Vogt, and Williams each earned a 34 on their ACTS.
Gies shared additional accolades for Heydinger. She scored the highest in Shelby’s multi-county district among seniors in the Americanism test of the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary.
“So here in a few weeks, she is heading to Washington D.C. for five days,” Gies said. “She won a trip to D.C.”
Kim Nadolosky, Shelby school vice president, expressed her pride in the students.
“A couple of you, I had the privilege of working many years ago, and I’m proud of you,” said Nadolsky, a retired teacher.
This personal note added warmth to the proceedings, underscoring the community’s support for its young scholars.
Concluding the celebration, Shelby schools Superintendent Michael Browning offered a light-hearted yet heartfelt congratulations.
“I don’t know if you added up all my attempts, I got a 30, so that’s a really, really good job,” he said. “Congratulations. And best of luck to all of you.”
His words not only brought a light-hearted moment to the presentation but also underscored the exceptional achievement of these students.