Two honored for academics

Kelvin Hernandez received the National Hispanic Recognition Award and Thomas Barton garnered the National Rural and Small Town Award. The two are Shepherd High School students. Courtesy photo

Special to the News-Times

SHEPHERD — Students Thomas Barton and Kelvin Hernandez of Shepherd High School earned academic honors from the esteemed College Board National Recognition Programs.

These programs celebrate students’ hard work in high school and showcase their strong academic performance.

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The academic honors for rural area, Black, indigenous, and/or Latino students are an opportunity for students to share their strong academic achievements and, in turn, capture the attention of colleges and scholarship providers actively seeking to embrace a diverse pool of talents.

“We’re thrilled to celebrate our students and recognize them for the great work they’ve been doing. We’re proud of their strong academic performance in the classroom and on College Board assessments like the PSAT” said Tomell Walton, the SHS Academic Dean. “There’s so much that makes our students unique, and receiving this honor reinforces this as an asset for their future.”

The criteria for eligible students include having a GPA of 3.5 or higher; PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 assessment scores that are within the top 10 percent of assessment takers in each state for each award program or earned a score of 3 or higher on 2 or more AP Exams in 9th and 10th grade; and they must attend school in a rural area or small town, or identify as African American/Black, Hispanic American/Latino, or Indigenous/Native.

Eligible students are invited to apply during their sophomore or junior year and are awarded at the start of the next school year in time to share their achievements in high school as they plan for the future. At the same time, colleges and organizations using College Board’s Student Search Service can connect directly with awardees during the recruitment process.