7 Tulsa-area students post perfect scores on ACT
BY SARA PLUMMER World Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
10/31/12 at 2:41 AM
Cascia Hall senior Sam Austin stayed up late one night last month to see online how he fared on the ACT test.
The scores were posted after midnight, a time that he was already supposed to be in bed, but the wait was worth it. Austin earned a 36, a perfect score on the ACT, a standardized test used for college admission with units on math, science, English and reading.
"I kind of freaked out," he said. "My mom was really excited. My dad asked me why I was up that late."
Officials at Cascia Hall said no one can remember another student earning a perfect ACT score before Austin.
Jolee Potts, a senior at Jenks High School, hasn't had to worry about the ACT test for years. She took it the summer after her freshman year and got a 36.
"I wanted to take it for practice. I wanted to get a feel for the test," Potts said.
Her feel for the test was obviously good, earning her a perfect score the first time she took it.
"I was so surprised. I called my mom I was almost crying," she said. "I did feel really good about it. I was exhausted afterwards. I wanted a 30 real bad. A 36 is OK, too."
Austin took the ACT the second time as a high school student in September. He had taken it in February of his junior year and earned a 32.
"I was not really shooting for a 36, but I thought I could get a 33 or 34," Austin said. "I didn't think I did too well in the science section."
His friends didn't believe it either, he said. "I told them I got a 36, then they asked 'OK, what did you really get?' " said Austin, who's gained some acclaim at school. "I got the nickname 36 among students and the teachers."
Potts said she's glad she took it so early in high school and now doesn't have to worry about it. "I felt the pressure was off my sophomore year," she said. "I'm never taking that test again."
Potts recently took the SAT, another college admissions test, and is waiting for her results. After graduation she's interested in attending the University of Tulsa or Stanford University and double majoring in biology and psychology before going to medical school.
Austin said he plans on going to Oklahoma State University, where his father and sister went.
"I realized (the ACT) could get me to other places, but I've had my heart set to go to OSU."
Perfect scores
Here is a list of area high school juniors and seniors who have earned a 36 on the ACT test.
- Jack Schaefer, senior, Booker T. Washington High School
- Sam Austin, senior, Cascia Hall Preparatory School
- Philip Gamble, senior, Holland Hall
- Wan Seo "Daniel" Park, junior, Jenks High School*
- Jolee Potts, senior, Jenks High School
- Connor Sell, senior, Regent Preparatory School*
- Casey Cai, junior, Union High School*
* Indicates the student went to that high school when they took the ACT but no longer attends that school
Original Print Headline: 7 area students score 36 on ACT
Sara Plummer 918-581-8465
sara.plummer@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Sam Austin, a high school senior who is one of seven area students who scored a perfect 36 on the ACT, stands outside Cascia Hall Preparatory School in Tulsa on Monday. MATT BARNARD / Tulsa World
Potts
|
