School district to honor 40 junior scholars April 1

A new junior scholar initiative can be classified as a moderate success for Cherokee County middle school students.

This is no April Fool's joke for the 40 students who will be honored at an April 1 awards banquet in Cherokee Technology Center. In comparison, the district had 34 junior scholars in 2006.

The state does not limit how many students can become junior scholars.

The district used private funding last summer to purchase 200 Princeton Review Pocket Prep handheld computers. Outfitted with test preparation software, district administrators hoped the technology would boost PSAT scores and increase the number of students named junior scholars.

The district saw a moderate increase in junior scholars during the 2007-2008 school year.

More significantly, Director of High School Programs Page McCraw said several county middle school students scored high enough on the PSAT to qualify as junior scholars in multiple areas.

"We didn't see much change in our numbers this year," McCraw said. "We did have 11 students qualify to be junior scholars in two or more areas. Typically, students only qualify as a junior scholar in one area."

The PSAT is used by the state to determine junior scholars each year. Students become a junior scholar by scoring above 50 on the PSAT in verbal, math or writing.

Seventh grade students recognized by Duke University's Talent Identification Program are automatically recognized as junior scholars.

Junior scholars receive information from different colleges and invitations to participate in summer academic programs held on college campuses. Students attend Junior Scholar Days at each grade level in high school where they can learn more about the college experience.

"This will benefit these students in the long run," McCraw said. "It will provide them opportunities to boost their SAT scores and qualify for better scholarships. Ultimately, we believe the junior scholar initiative will increase our pool of potential National Merit Scholars in high school."