Avon High juniors lauded for ACT success

Four Avon High School juniors achieved a perfect score on the ACT, formerly known as American College Testing, but what’s more impressive about the local students, is that out of one million youngsters who take the test each year, only a few thousand nati

That says a great deal about Ishani Kishorepuria, 16; Jay Kneiss, 17; Cameron Lam, 16; and Justin Schwab, 17, who all received scores of 36 out of 36 on the ACT.

But four students from the same high school to achieve that feat, almost is unheard of.

The ACT was developed in 1959 as an entrance exam used by most colleges and universities to make admissions decisions.

It is a multiple-choice, pencil-and-paper test administered by ACT Inc.

According to the ACT, the purpose of the test is to measure a high school student’s readiness for college and provide colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants.

The ACT says that college admissions officers review standardized test scores alongside high school grade point averages, the classes a student took in high school, letters of recommendation from teachers or mentors, extracurricular activities, admissions interviews and personal essays.

But, just how important ACT scores are in the college application process varies from school to school.

Overall, the higher a student scores on the ACT, the more options for attending college and earning scholarships will be available to them.

So, these Avon High juniors have a bright future as far as which institutions of higher learning they will attend.

What’s also extraordinary is the Avon students caught the attention of Janet Godwin, CEO of the ACT.

Godwin congratulated the students, adding that earning a top score on the ACT is a remarkable achievement in itself, and the exceptional score of 36 will provide any college or university with ample evidence of their readiness for the academic rigors ahead.

Avon Schools Superintendent Ben Hodge also was elated and called what the students did unbelievable.

Hodge indicated that what the students did, had not happened in his 10 years at Avon Local Schools, when he served as curriculum director, assistant superintendent or superintendent.

Avon Local Schools tries to do the best it can in everything it does, Hodge said, but when it comes to academics, the district is producing highlevel students who excel.

Avon High School Principal Kristina Dobos Buller mentioned that the juniors are friends and they share quite a few classes together at Avon High.

For Buller, it’s a pleasure to watch the students take part in this achievement together.

Hopefully, the greater Avon community has the same sentiment.

Each of the four students revealed their high aspirations for college and even beyond.

Kishorepuria hopes to become a doctor, and her current colleges of interest are Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University and Duke University.

Lam is involved in an advanced placement seminar, and he participates in a variety of extracurricular activities such as tennis and the Avon Electric Orchestra. He hopes to attend MIT, Northwestern or University of Rochester.

Kneiss has dreams of becoming a physics professor, and he is looking to attend either the University of Rochester or Brown University.

Schwab, who is one of Avon’s top students, is interested in Kenyon College as well as Princeton University.

And he offers some guidance for students and peers trying to achieve the same score: “It’s a good idea to play to your strengths. Find something that you are really interested in, then find a way to relate that to school, and then you are going to be actually enjoying the things that you have to do.”

Sounds like some pretty good advice.

According to act.org, the ACT is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people achieve education and workplace success.

Grounded in more than 60 years of research, ACT is a trusted leader in college and career readiness.

A student’s final ACT score is a composite taken from the test’s four components.

Each year, ACT serves millions of students, job seekers, schools, government agencies, and employers in the US and around the world with learning resources, assessments, research, and credentials.

The community should be proud of the four Avon High juniors for their perfect scores on the ACT.

We certainly are.