Thirteen Gettysburg Area High School (GAHS) students recently earned academic honors from College Board’s National Recognition Program. These GAHS students are among thousands across the nation recognized through the program for their strong academic performance.
GAHS awardees include seniors Luke Blaney, Hannah Campbell, Winaida Flaherty, Gerald Fluke, Olivia Goldman-Smith, Josmar Gomez-Mateos, Philip Neller, and Samantha Woodward and juniors Ariana Blume-Kohout, Quinn Funk, Mei’lani Johnson, Claire Jurney, and Beatrice Russell.
To be eligible for the program, students must earn a grade point average of B+ (equivalent to at least 3.3 or 87% to 89%) or higher, land within the top 10% of assessment takers for PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 in each state for their respective award program or achieve a score of 3 or higher on two or more Advanced Placement (AP) exams by the end of their sophomore year, and attend a school in a rural area or small town, or identify as an African American/Black, Hispanic American/Latino, Indigenous/Native American, or a first-generation college student.
Gomez-Mateos and Johnson earned the National First-Generation Recognition Program Award and the National African American Recognition Program Award, respectively.
The program expanded this year to include a fifth award, and Gomez-Mateos was among over 35,000 students nationwide to receive the inaugural National First-Generation Recognition Program Award.
“I was honored to receive this award because I know I worked hard,” Gomez-Mateos said. “I am proud to be able to get access to an education my parents were unable to get, and I will be the first person in my family to go to college.”
Johnson noted how this recognition “means a lot to me because it shows me that my efforts and hard work throughout my school career has not gone unnoticed.”
Blaney, Blume-Kohout, Campbell, Flaherty, Fluke, Funk, Goldman-Smith, Jurney, Neller, Russell, and Woodward received National Rural and Small Town Recognition Awards.
“This award means a lot to me because it highlights my success on AP Tests and the SAT as well as the hard work I put into studying for the exams,” Blaney said.
Blume-Kohout said she was honored to be recognized “because it shows that, although we may not have as many resources as larger districts, our students and teachers still work incredibly hard to reach our highest academic potential.”
“To me, this award validates my dedication and hard work I have put in as a student in the rural town of Gettysburg, not only in academics but also with the unique challenges of living in a small town,” said Woodward. “It reminds me that students from all backgrounds and locations have the ability to achieve anything they set their mind to.”
Additionally, Campbell and Blaney earned AP Scholar with Honor Awards, and Fluke received the National Indigenous Recognition Program Award.
“It meant a lot to get this award,” Campbell said. “I needed to officially pass all my exams and have an average score of 3.25 to get it, which was a hard achievement. Just last year I took three AP exams, which was very challenging, but I’m happy to say that the hard work paid off.”
Some students also qualified for other recognitions, including the National Merit Scholarship Program. Students can verify their eligibility on BigFuture during their sophomore or junior year. Students receive their awards in the following school year for their communities to celebrate them and colleges to recruit them.
“This year, the National Recognition Programs are recognizing more students than ever so that the outstanding academic abilities of more than 90,000 deserving students are not overlooked as they plan for their future,” said Amy Reitz, senior vice president of BigFuture at College Board. “We’re proud to support colleges and universities that are committed to supporting all students, and our program offers one way they can strengthen their recruitment efforts to students that will thrive on their campus.”
Gettysburg Area School District (GASD), in partnership with the family and community, is dedicated to excellence and committed to maximizing every student’s opportunity to reach their full potential for achievement. With a student population of over 2,800, GASD’s purpose is to provide a safe and healthy environment in which all students can learn. GASD embraces its responsibility in developing a caring school community that enables all students to become active and productive members of a diverse and ever-changing global society.
Featured image caption: Pictured from left in the front row are Winaida Flaherty, Ariana Blume-Kohout, Hannah Campbell, Samantha Woodward, Mei’lani Johnson, and Quinn Funk. Students in the back row from left are Philip Neller, Luke Blaney, Olivia Goldman-Smith, Beatrice Russell, Claire Jurney, and Josmar Gomez-Mateos. Missing from the photo is Gerald Fluke. The high-res jpeg is available for download from https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15v1r_5G__xxJ55Ks9RNajX_oUBR75Sp-?usp=drive_link.
Congratulations on your hard work everyone!