May 19, 2008

News Release

Duke TIP Honors Local Seventh Graders

For Outstanding Achievement

Some of the most academically talented seventh graders in the U.S. will be recognized this spring for their exceptional scores on the ACT or SAT, and nine Tyler ISD students are among them.

The Duke University Talent Identification Program’s (Duke TIP) 7th Grade Talent Search identifies students in sixteen states in the Southeast, Midwest, and Southwest who have scored in the 95th percentile on a grade-level achievement test. As part of the program, these academically talented students take above-level college-entrance exams (SAT or ACT) to learn more about their abilities.

Duke TIP hosts annual Recognition Ceremonies to honor the 7th graders who score highest on these SAT or ACT exams. This year, of the 66,198 participants nationally, 21,115 students (32%) have been invited to attend State Recognition Ceremonies and 1,804 students (3%) have been invited to the Grand Recognition Ceremony.

The following Tyler ISD students will be recognized:

Hubbard Middle School

Mahmoud Elkishky                 State Recognition

Francis Lewis                          State Recognition

Hogg Middle School

Christopher Zimmermann                  State Recognition
Kathryn Funderburg                State Recognition

Moore MST Magnet School

Aaron Gutierrez                      Grand Recognition and State Recognition

Martin Antilley                         State Recognition

Jerry Frazier                           State Recognition

Erin Hicks                               State Recognition

Allison Snodgrass                   State Recognition

"The Recognition Ceremonies are inspiring events," says Martha Putallaz, Ph.D., Executive Director of Duke TIP and Professor of Psychology at Duke University. "It is rare that so many gifted students can come together to be honored for their achievements and encouraged by their intellectual peers. The honorees have proven, at this young age, their capacity for great things. We hope they consider their achievement to be an invitation to pursue an ambitious path in life."

The State Recognition Ceremonies honor seventh graders who have earned scores equal to or better than half the college-bound seniors who took the tests. Working with host academic institutions, Duke TIP sponsors 34 different State Ceremonies in its 16-state Talent Search region during the months of May and June. The students from Tyler ISD will be recognized at the state ceremony at Texas A&M University in College Station, Thursday, May 29 at 2:00 p.m.

The Grand Recognition Ceremony honors seventh graders who have earned scores equal to or better than 90% of college-bound seniors who took the same tests. The event will be held May 19 at Cameron Indoor Stadium on the Duke University campus in Durham, NC. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Blair H. Sheppard, Dean of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, Chair and Founder of Duke Corporate Education, and an internationally recognized expert on global and corporate education.

In addition to the above-level testing experience, all Talent Search participants receive educational materials and resources through 10th grade to help them develop to their full academic potential. Based on SAT or ACT scores, students may qualify to participate in Duke TIP’s Summer Studies or e-Studies programs.  Duke TIP also runs a talent search for 4th and 5th graders.

Duke TIP is a nonprofit, educational organization that identifies and helps cultivate the talents of academically gifted youth. Since 1980 over 1.9 million students from all over the world have participated in Duke TIP.

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