Berkeley County School District is excited to share and recognize its 174 students who have qualified as Junior Scholars this year.
Last year BCSD had 129 students who qualified as Junior Scholars, making this a significant increase in qualifying students. It is also the highest amount of Junior Scholars the district has had in at least the last five years.
In November, the eighth graders from all of BCSD’s middle schools took the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test). Although this assessment is designed for 10th and 11th graders, BCSD students rose to the challenge, with qualifying scores for the South Carolina Junior Scholars Program set at 550 on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section or 530 on the Mathematics subtest.
“We are so excited to recognize our eighth graders for making this monumental achievement,” Superintendent Dr. Anthony S. Dixon said. “This is a direct testament to their hard work and academic growth, as well as the dedication of our middle school teachers.”
The South Carolina Junior Scholars Program was developed by the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) during the 1985-86 school year to reflect the statewide effort to improve education in South Carolina and to provide for the needs of students possessing exceptional academic talent. The purpose of the program is to identify these students and to provide opportunities that will facilitate their intellectual growth, broaden their individual interests and promote their scholastic achievement.
The program includes a process for screening a potential talent pool of students, identifying and recognizing those students with exceptionally high scholastic achievement and intellectual ability, and sponsoring summer opportunities in collaboration with participating South Carolina colleges, universities, and the Governor’s School for Science and Math.
Jennifer Croley, Interim Executive Director of Academics and Innovation for BCSD, said getting 174 students qualified this year is an impressive increase that speaks to the talent, determination and hard work of BCSD’s students, and it is an accomplishment well worth celebrating.
“This success also reflects BCSD’s continued commitment to excellence in teaching and learning,” she said. “Through strong Professional Learning Communities at each school, the adoption of high-quality instructional materials aligned to state standards, and ongoing professional development opportunities, we are intentionally investing in our teachers and creating the conditions for students to thrive.”
Congratulations to the following students for being named Junior Scholars!
Berkeley Middle
Alexander Bauer
Madilyn Bland
David Braley
Jaxson Copeland
Cade Dobes
Fabian Dugarte Cortes
Odin Echague
Christopher Goodwin
Mason Grissam
Eliza Guerry
Lily Hardin
Andelynn Hormell
Jordan Jenkins
Jack Kelly
Jared King
Abigail Lee
Annalise MacBain
Emily Manuel
Reagan Pinckney
Wesley Polite
JayceeRae Roncek
Charley Rubenak
Ansley Satterfield
Alexa Simpson
Tiana Stevens
Nicholas Stuckey
Brayden Talbot
Mason Thomas
Mila Thomas
Keaton Watkins
Amelia Watson
Isaac Watson
Cane Bay Middle
Evangelina Allen
Aurora Allsup
Ryan Bodnar
Harper Christie
Abigail Dixon
Ellie Froemel
Tristan Gaiser
Ryan Gribbin
Adam Hargadine
Miguel Hernandez Lopez
Hannah Hicks
Mason Killinger
Bailey Mueller
Lauren Mulligan
Tarun Sai Shanmugam
Harper Siebert
Callum Tejeda
Micah Tillman
Vanessa Torres
Sebastian Whitson
Carolyn Lewis School
Iyanuoluwa Ajide
Tigran Badalyan
Parker Carroll
Bryson Cole
Kaylynn Faircloth
Jeremy Gonzalez Quintero
Serinity Hoffman
Isaac Ostrander
Landon Powell-Brooks
Yohel Sandoval-Allen
College Park Middle
Sophia Carroll
Cooper Deacon
Sophie Lindsley
Daniel Island School
Elle Corbin
Margaret OToole
Olivia Roth
Maximilian Schlegel
Austin Abbate
Liam Gege
Eli Hines
Edith Gregg
Zoe Hansen
Charlilze Kalkas
Carter Allen
Asher Auld
Alicia Beaubien
Paxton Carr
Gisella Catroppa
Jackson Cline
Zoe Coursey
Julia Dalnekoff
Sean Deconinck
Lyla Gilreath
Jonathan Grzyb
Theodore Jones
Nora Kennelly
Parker Matheney
Michael Mead
Mann Mitchell
Summer Mykols
Raymond Reeves
Scarlett Vo
Olivia Ward
Molly Wymore
Hanahan Middle
Ella/Apollo Bourne
Mena Campbell
Tanner Cromer
Lillian Lampton
Wyatt McSwain
Sydney Owens
Carter Stapleton
Macedonia Middle
Erin Callihan
William Goodrich
Maci Grill
Trenton Mitchum
Kayleigh Phillips
Marrington Middle School of the Arts
Hudson Cole
Eden Cook
Ellery Fine
Elaina Gerweck
Zoey Ginnings
Gavin Hood
Rowen Kaufmann
Kevin Keyes
Reese Knight
Arabella Maranan
Ada Martinez
Maddison McNeil
Parker Nettles
Noah O'Neal
Amalia Ortiz Hernandez
Cayden Porter
Paige Sagen
William Scoggins
Cason Shaw
Aliyahna Showers
Scarlett Simpson
Austin Smith
Brinley Stevick
Aiden Truesdale
Tyler Wofford
Philip Simmons Middle
Sylas Bagardo
Jacob Black
Addison Blease
Riley Breuer
James Campion
Tiernan Fiveash
Ellis Futch
Toby Henderson
Channing Hornilla
Jason Kim
Riley McDonnell
Sebastian Obregon
Abigail Sebestyen
Max Trottier
Sangaree Middle
Abigail Chase
Clayton Gethers
Leah Hymas
Maria Ledesma Moreno
Harper Leslie
Dereck Saravia Martinez
Quinn Stevens
Wen Xing
Sedgefield Middle
Bruce Dyson
Aiden Lee
Ernesto Perez-Ontiveros
Brooklyn Price
Gabriella Purcell
Eliseo Rosas Mendez
Brooks White
St. Stephen Middle
Kara Knight
Alysia Smalls
Westview Middle
Gabriella Brivescas
Tyler Fults
Jonathan Henry
Ethan Leighty
Paola Mantovani Cardoso de Assis
Reid McCombs
Melvin Montgomery
Roy Montgomery
Maxwell Shaw
Liam Smith