Allison Torres aims to do medical mission work in Latin America. Alisha Sahu has a serious interest in neuroscience, but could pursue a career as an orthodontist. And Alex O'Brien said he wants to help solve major world problems once he's finished studying chemical engineering.
These three teens may have different dreams and come from different schools, but they have at least one thing in common: They are among the eight seniors chosen for the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's 2015 Academic All-Star Team.
MARY BOWMAN COOPER
School: Bentonville High School
Hometown: Lowell
College plans: University of Pennsylvania, economics and international relations
ACT score: 35
Honors and Awards: National Merit Commended Student, U.S. Presidential Scholar nominee, Yale Young Global Scholars attendee.
Extracurricular Activities/Community Service: Student Council, Jungle Student Spirit Club president, Republican Party of Arkansas volunteer, Arkansas Model United Nations designee.
BROOKELYNN HARPER
School: Providence Classical Christian Academy
Hometown: Rogers
College plans: Harding University, Spanish and either education or business management
ACT score: 34
SAT score: 2190
Honors and Awards: National Merit Scholar finalist, National Honors Society.
Extracurricular Activities/Community Service: Student Council; theater; worship team; chaperone at Northwest Arkansas Girls’ Retreat; hundreds of volunteer hours for organizations such as the thrift store, Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter and church activities.
SAM JOHNSON
School: Fayetteville High School
Hometown: Fayetteville
College plans: University of Arkansas, business
ACT score: 34
SAT score: 2050
Honors and Awards: AP Scholar with distinction, National Merit Scholar, Distinguished Honor graduation status.
Extracurricular Activities/Community Service: Mu Alpha Theta vice president, National Honors Society vice president, Interact Club co-publicist, Quiz Bowl, World Language Club French representative, Youth Advisory Council for the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock, Catholic Charities Summer Institute, religious education catechist for second-graders.
JEREMY MUELLER
School: Farmington High School
Hometown: Fayetteville
College plans: Baylor University, religion and international studies
ACT score: 30
Honors and Awards: “Pitching in Award” from the Ryan Dempster Family Foundation, for positively affecting the life of someone affected by 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome
Extracurricular Activities/Community Service: President of high school class for three years; National Honor Society; Junior Bank Board member; DECA member; multiple mission trips to places such as Uganda, Haiti and Mexico; organized school-wide canned food drive in 2011.
ALEXANDER O’BRIEN
School: Har-Ber High School
Hometown: Springdale
College plans: University of Arkansas, chemical engineering
ACT score: 36
Honors and Awards: National Merit Finalist, DAR Good Citizen nominee, National Spanish Exam Award, All-Region Band and Jazz Band, Band Outstanding Junior 2014.
Extracurricular Activities/Community Service: School marching/concert and jazz band, Student Council vice president, National Honor Society board member, Quiz Bowl team captain, youth soccer coach and referee, New Life Ranch volunteer laborer and day camp counselor, Cross Pointe Helping Hands volunteer.
ALISHA SAHU
School: Rogers High School
Hometown: Rogers
College plans: University of Virginia, biology and business management
ACT score: 34
Honors and Awards: National Merit Scholar, Arkansas Governor’s School attendee, Chamber of Commerce Award (three times), team-decision making business ethics award in FBLA state competition.
Extracurricular Activities/Community Service: Started Girls Learn International, served as president for two years; DECA board member; walks Hobbs State Park trail once a month to pick up trash and clear path; golf team (two years); National Honor Society vice president; National French Honors Society.
ALLISON TORRES
School: Siloam Springs High School
Hometown: Siloam Springs
College plans: Texas A&M University, biomedical science
ACT score: 31
Honors and Awards: National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar and AP Scholar (by the College Board), Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Award.
Extracurricular Activities/Community Service: National Honor Society president, Mu Alpha Theta, Arvest Junior Bank Board, Uplink Freshman Mentoring, varsity tennis team, camp counseling mentor.
KATE WOOLVERTON
School: Haas Hall Academy
Hometown: Fayetteville
College plans: Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, Calif.), physics
ACT score: 34
SAT score: 2260
Honors and Awards: National Merit Scholar, AP scholar with distinction, Teen Leadership ‘X’perience graduate, U.S. Army Certificate of Achievement for outstanding science project, Air Force Award for outstanding science project, Arkansas Model United Nations Human Rights Council outstanding delegate.
Extracurricular Activities/Community Service: O’Ambassadors, Model United Nations, Future Business Leaders of America, Science Olympiad, C-SPAN Studentcam Competition.
Northwest Arkansas Graduations
Benton County
• Arkansas Arts Academy: 2 p.m. Saturday, Performing Arts Center,high school, Rogers
• Bentonville High School: 8:45 a.m. Saturday, Bud Walton Arena, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
• Decatur High School: 7 p.m. Friday, Decatur High School gymnasium
• Gentry High School: 7 p.m. Saturday, Bill George Arena, John Brown University, Siloam Springs
• Gravette High School: 10 a.m. Saturday, Gravette High School football field *weather permitting
• Heritage High School: 8 p.m. Friday, Bud Walton Arena, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
• Pea Ridge High School: 2 p.m. Saturday, Blackhawk Stadium, Pea Ridge High School **check high school website for inclement weather delays
• Rogers High School: 5 p.m. Friday, Bud Walton Arena, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
• Siloam Springs High School: 1 p.m. Saturday, Barnhill Arena, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Graduations for Ambassadors for Christ Academy in Bentonville, Life Way Christian School in Centerton and Providence Classical Christian Academy in Rogers occurred May 8.
Washington County
• Elkins High School: 7 p.m. Friday, Barnhill Arena, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
• Farmington High School: 7 p.m. May 19, Farmington High School’s Cardinal Arena
• Fayetteville High School: 7 p.m. Thursday, Bud Walton Arena, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
• Greenland High School: 6 p.m. Friday, Greenland High School’s Dee Lee Gymnasium
• Haas Hall Academy: 7 p.m. May 26, Fayetteville Town Center
• Har-Ber High School: 4 p.m. Saturday, Bud Walton Arena, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
• Lincoln High School: 7 p.m. May 21, high school gymnasium
• Prairie Grove High: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Prairie Grove Tiger Stadium
• Shiloh Christian School: 7 p.m. May 21, worship center, Springdale campus
• Springdale High School: 1 p.m. Saturday, Bud Walton Arena, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
• West Fork High School: 3 p.m. May 17, Barnhill Arena, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Source: Staff Report
Northwest Arkansas high schools were invited to nominate all-stars. Newspaper staff members then chose the team members based not only on their academic achievements, but also the time they've devoted to extracurricular and community activities throughout their high school careers.
This year's team boasts an average grade point of 4.27 and an average composite ACT score of 33.5. A 36 is the highest possible composite score.
Torres of Siloam Springs, Sahu of Rogers and O'Brien of Springdale all have something else in common. Each one is interested in a career related to science, technology, engineering and math -- frequently referred to as STEM.
O'Brien has excelled at all subjects in school, but he found chemistry and physics intrigued him the most. His next step is the University of Arkansas, where he wants to study chemical engineering. He said he has thought about working with industries to improve the impact they have on the environment.
"I legitimately want to be solving problems with the world," O'Brien said.
His confidence in his abilities comes partly from his involvement in band as an alto saxophonist. The long hours and dedication required of band participants have prepared him for any challenge, he said.
"I've been surrounded by this mindset of working my very hardest to support the group as a whole," O'Brien said. "That's the kind of mindset I've taken into my classes."
Travis Fink, an advanced placement calculus teacher at Springdale's Har-Ber High School, has known O'Brien for three years. O'Brien has been a student in Fink's class and a member of the Quiz Bowl team Fink coached.
"He's able to analyze things really deeply. He's a thorough, thorough thinker," Fink said. "He just doesn't make mistakes. He catches all the details."
But O'Brien is also humble, Fink said.
"You wouldn't necessarily know he's one of the brightest students we have at Har-Ber," Fink said.
Digging deeper
Torres grew up in the Siloam Springs school system. As an eighth-grader, she took biology at the high school, putting her ahead in science. She credits Steve Matchell, her teacher for biology, chemistry and advanced placement biology, for inspiring her.
"His classes are very hard, so that forced me to have to dig into everything a little deeper on my own," Torres said. "He definitely made it challenging so we'd be better students in the long run."
Torres will attend Texas A&M University this fall with plans to major in biomedical science and Spanish. She's interested in serving those needing medical help in Spanish-speaking countries.
This school year, Torres has been president of Siloam Springs High School's National Honor Society chapter, which has organized and participated in numerous community service activities. A talent show the group organized, for example, raised $2,000 for a fellow student diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Sahu is heading to the University of Virginia as part of the Echols Scholars Program. Echols Scholars are exempt from the general studies courses typically required of those enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences so they may concentrate on specialized, higher-level classes from the time they matriculate. Sahu intends to double-major in biology and business management at the university.
Her experience in advanced placement biology as a sophomore got her interested in the medical field, Sahu said.
"We had a lot of labs and hands-on experience. I was really curious to learn about how life functions and thought it was really interesting to experience it firsthand in the labs," she said.
Asked if success in a STEM-related field of study requires a certain kind of mind, or just a lot of hard work, Sahu said she believes it's a bit of both.
"It requires a lot of hard work and motivation. But I think some people have more of a natural aptitude for it," she said.
The Right Skills
President Barack Obama announced in 2012 a major priority for the next decade should be increasing the number of students who receive undergraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and math by 1 million.
Karl Kay is executive director of Ozark STEM, a Northwest Arkansas organization that promotes STEM-related activities and opportunities for students. There is huge demand in the job market for people with backgrounds in science and technology, he said.
"The need is permeating every major company," Kay said. "Even very traditional companies are saying technology is at the heart of everything they do."
Local public schools have taken major steps to enhance the STEM-related instruction they provide, far exceeding what they did even a few years ago, he said. Students are learning how to develop mobile applications, for example; others are joining clubs that build robots for competitions.
"The work they're doing is on par with work you see in the private sector. These students are learning real job skills," Kay said.
NW News on 05/10/2015