- Seneca Valley School District
- Overview
Top students recognized by Johns Hopkins CTY
Seneca Valley students, David Choi, Jacob Geil, Rishin Sharma and Rachel Spear were honored as four of the brightest young students in the world at a May 14 awards ceremony at Duquesne University sponsored by the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY).
These four participants in the CTY Talent Search were recognized for scoring exceptionally high on a rigorous, above-grade-level test.
As part of the CTY Talent Search, advanced students in second through eighth grades take challenging tests that can reveal their true capacity for learning. Seventh and eighth graders take the SAT or ACT, the same tests used for college admissions. These students may also take advanced versions of the School and College Ability Test (SCAT) or the Spatial Test Battery (STB).
Mr. Choi, a seventh grade student at Seneca Valley Middle School, along with Mr. Sharma and Mr. Geil, freshmen at Seneca Valley Intermediate High School, and Miss Spear, a sixth grade student at Evans City Middle School, were four of more than 30,000 students from more than 60 countries who participated in the CTY Talent Search between March 2015 and February 2016. Only about 30 percent of Talent Search participants earned an awards-ceremony invitation.
This spring, more than 8,000 CTY Talent Search honorees were invited to CTY Award Ceremonies across the U.S. and in China and Hong Kong. Most of these students also qualified for CTY’s summer and online courses.
“We are thrilled to celebrate these students for their hard work and academic achievements,” said Elaine Tuttle Hansen, executive director of CTY. “We’d also like to recognize the parents and educators who saw the academic talent in these students and provided them with opportunities to develop it further.”
A global leader in gifted education since 1979, CTY is focused on recognizing academic talent in exceptional K-12 students and supporting their growth with courses, services, and resources specifically designed to meet their needs. CTY draws students from 50 states and 81 countries worldwide. In fiscal year 2015, CTY provided $5.8 million in financial aid to nearly 7,000 students.