CCSD Recognizes Record Number of Superintendent’s Key Scholars for 2017

Creekview HS junior Brayden Dodge is congratulated by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower.

The Cherokee County School District annually recognizes outstanding high school juniors as Superintendent’s Key Scholars, and 332 students earned the honor for the 2016-17 – a record total!

Each Key Scholar receives a letter jacket patch.

Each of these outstanding students scored at the 90th percentile or above on the Grade 11 PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test and received a newly-redesigned “Key Scholar” letter jacket patch during the 12th Annual Superintendent’s Key Scholar Recognition Ceremony held Tuesday evening at Woodstock High School. The ceremony and reception for students and their families was sponsored by Credit Union of Georgia and Cobb EMC, longtime CCSD community partners.

Assistant Superintendent for Educational Programs Susan McCarthy introduces Mark Justice, who spoke on behalf of event co-sponsor Cobb EMC.

Jason Blakey gives remarks on behalf of event co-sponsor Credit Union of Georgia.

“To our distinguished students, you are here this evening as academic leaders,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower said during the ceremony. “You have the potential to continue your extraordinary success as high school seniors, in your college pursuits and, eventually, in your chosen careers. I am proud of you. We also extend our congratulations this evening to your families, teachers, counselors, administrators and everyone who makes an impact on your education and lives!”

The Key Scholar Program is a districtwide academic recognition plan that begins in elementary school. Select fourth- and fifth-grade students qualify for the nationally recognized Duke University TIP Talent Identification Program and receive recognition at their school’s year-end awards ceremonies.

Eligible seventh-graders then have the opportunity to take the Practice SAT through the Duke program, getting a head start on college-entrance exam preparation that usually begins in high school. Select students perform so well they earn State Recognition and invitation to a special Duke University ceremony in Atlanta. Some of you received this honor when you were in middle school.

School Board Chair Kyla Cromer greets the audience at the Superintendent's Key Scholars recognition event.

For high school students, the Key Scholar Program focuses on the PSAT. Freshmen scoring at the 80th percentile or above and sophomores scoring at the 85th percentile or above receive a Certificate of Achievement at their school’s year-end awards ceremonies.

Students recognized Tuesday as Key Scholars are juniors who rank in the top 10% of students nationwide who took the PSAT exam in October. The final step in the Key Scholar Program is National Merit Scholars, who are selected during students’ senior year. These academically outstanding students lead their classes as they march across the graduation stage wearing a National Merit Scholar gold medallion.

Please see the list below for the names of recipients from each high school.

Cherokee HS 2017 Superintendent's Key Scholars

Cherokee High School: Jakob Allen, Jordan Ariano, Mary Arntzen, Jalen Austin, Stephanie Bradley, Camryn Callaro, Lane Cannon, Emily Costello, Joshua DeLuna, Brittany Duck, Emily Endozo, Ashlee Floyd, Leah Garrison, Madison Glattli, Chaolin Hancock, Amanda Harden, Payton Hodges, Owen Hutchins, Katherine Johnson, Nicole Johnson, Kyle Kumar, Alec Letsinger, Camryn Lopusnak, Travis Main, Brian Martin, Caroline Maurer, Morgan McAdoo, Alejandra Medina, Camryn Mullin, Cameron Pace, James Perdue, Gunnar Phillips, Madison Rodriguez, Keegan Sigler, Mark Solano, Madison Stoner, Tamia Styles, Kerry Trusch, Griffin Turcotte, Katie Vinterella, Mika White, Alexander Whitman, Alexander Wyman

Creekview HS 2017 Superintendent's Key Scholars

Creekview High School: John Abdinoor, Katherine Allen, Nathan Blankenship, Tori Booth, Davis Bostick, Addison Bralick, Jessica Budwitz, Markel Calonge Perez, Annabelle Camp, Caitlin Canfield, Kennedy Cater, Austin Darnell, Jack DellaPenna, Garrett Dempsey, Paul DiCicco, Brayden Dodge, Kristen Farmer, Justin Fischman, Sydney Foster, Tate Foster, Dylan Frausto, Avery Gleason, Bryce Goodwyn, Bailey Hall, Megan Halverson, Joey Hargadon, Zoie Hart, Eryn Hasty, Chloe Helton, Kelsey Henson, Frank Homiller, Haley Jane, Alexandra Kaye, Arlen Lee, Samuel LeFebvre, Zoe Love, Kyle Mallett, Kyle Mello, Matthew Oswald, Nathan Parker, Braden Peterson, Paige Poulos, Jonah Pryor, Andrew Reisinger, Mitchell Robinson, Michaela Rushing, Lauren Scott, Jonathan Shea, Ashton Sheriff, Malcolm Smith, Sydney Smith, Davis Tangeman, William Touchstone, Geena Vetula, Gracen Wallace, Daniel Watson

Etowah HS 2017 Superintendent's Key Scholars

Etowah High School: Katherine Adams, Ricardo Alvarado-Digiulo, Kendyl Behrens Madalyn Billings, Katie Bishop, Nazareth Brown, Katie Chandler, Joshua Colby, Mary Cory, Melanie Coulter, Zachary D’Aquino, MacCallum Diehl, Kenneth Donaldson, Kyle Dorsey, Cameron Elliott, Jon Firchow, Austin Gammill, Timothy Gatto, Andrea Geiger, Nathaniel Haas, Madeline Hamby, Emily Hartley, Spencer Hayes, Anna Henderson, Abigail Hogsten, Rachel Hollingshead, Jacob Hootselle, Olivia Hopkins, Elizabeth Hugenberg, Thomas Humphrey, Justice Hunt, Phillip Hutton, Trevor Jenkins, Brendan Kapcsos, Jenna Klein, Jackson Lambert, Manuel Lopez, John Martin, William McGonigle, Maris McMullen, Michael Mills, Zachary Mnich, Trace Mock, Andrew Morawa, Noah Morrissey, Nickolas Nagy, Emily Nelson, William O’Neil, Adam Parbhoo, Megan Poehlein, Kennedy Pulliam, Nadia Qutob, Michael Riley, Andino Rochon, Jacob Rutherfoord, Kailey Shaw, Jared Shick, Skyler Shuman, Nicholas Slacanin, Kara Stanley, Emma Stephens, Kathleen Tafoya, Gabriel Thornburgh, Jacob Tiberio, Elizabeth Tillery, Joshua Tipton, Ethan Underwood, Hannah Veith, Peter Voytek, Sean Waldron, Clair Weathers, Jacob Weitkamp, Diane White, Matthew Whitlow, Kyle Wilson, Samuel Wysocki, Melody Yates, Emily Young, Jonathan Young, Joseph Young

River Ridge HS 2017 Superintendent's Key Scholars

River Ridge High School: Kublai Anders, David Bailey, Julia Boll, Taylor Boozer, Emily Broomhall, Danielle Brown, Sofia Cardona-Diaz, Hsin-Huei Chen, Hsin-Ling Chen, Leah Choi, Graciella Elaine, Mary Kate Flaig, Aiden Gohlke, Emma Harrison, Marissa Henager, Andrew Herring, Katherine Hopkins, Carson Kantoris, Mukthi Kaup, Callie Lambert, Emily Leaming, Mason Martin, Isabella Mazzurra, Jordan McNally, Jack Mezzacapo, Bethany Norman, Brooke O’Donnell, Stephanie Paulson, Kyla Perez, Ana Rivadeneira, Lauren Ross, William Stauts, Lauren Talele, Andrew Winters, Nicole Woods, Jiun-Jie Yang, Robert Zell

Sequoyah HS 2017 Superintendent's Key Scholars

Sequoyah High School: Ashley Adams, Alyssa Barone, Madeleine Bends, Allyson Bethke, Joyce Brumbelow, Jackson Bryan, Noah Butler, Alyssa Cagle, Theodore Campbell, Lauren Cato, Grace Collier, Rawlin Cook, Caleb Crayton, Zachary Davis, Madeline Doerr, Leah Eubanks, Claudia Evans, Kristina Friedrichs, Alyssa Giardina, Daniel Haugen, Kaitlyn Jeong, Justin Lingerfelt, Benjamin Lowry, Brandon Mandoeng, Logan McIntosh, Mollie McNeil, Cade Ormsby, Ashley Painter, Lauren Pfitzenmayer, Katie Pitner, Griffin Pizzano, Zoe Quarles, Reece Richardson, Andre Rutalemwa, Emily Sommer, Michael Stone, Logan Struchtemeyer, Annalise Tucker, Victoria Turk, Corinne Wallick, Katelyn Warnick

Woodstock HS 2017 Superintendent's Key Scholars

Woodstock High School: Grace Abernathy, Christian Adams, Preston Alsup, Michael Bargeron, Katelynn Basford, Eva-Michelle Belikova, Taylor Birke, Maverick Borges, Jonathan Bryant, Lauren Bryant, Elizabeth Burgess, Isabella Canales, Delaney Caslow, Virginia Cason, Colton Clanton, Evan Cowart, Griffin Cowart, Mickhala Delgado, Griffin Dominguez, Adrian Escamilla, Hannah Everest, Ivana George, Malcolm Green, Emily Hartman, Sarah Head, Braden Heimerl, Rachel Heiter, Matthew Hitchcock, Zeba Huque, David Jackson, Alexia John, Vladimir Juarez-Zayas, Jacob Krumrey, Patrick Kump, Halle Lindsey, Julia Litrel, McKinley Mallory, Dylan Mason, Michael McDowell, Sidney Mesumbe, Jacob Meuse, Ian Murphy, Samantha Murtha, Chloe Norrell, Carissa Pangilinan, Toral Patel, Macy Pfaffenbichler, Katherine Relick, Abigail Rich, Juan Rincon, Yolimar Rivera-Hermida, Anna Rives, Benjamin Ruff, Sebastian Russell, Christian Schnepf, Jessica Senquiz, Gwendolyn Rose Setlock, Nathan Shear, Taylor Shephard, Riordan Shina, Margaret Skeen, Murphy Stark, Oleksandra Stogniy, Jordan Surratt, Ethan Taylor, Emma Tilt, Elijah Trepper, Isabella Vahle, Brian Walker, Anna Weissel, Brendan Wimmer, Samantha Wolfe, Ezra Yott, Thomas Zamorski