On April 8th, Syed Aslam and Grace Qi were 2 of the 100 in the state who won the academic All-State award for academic excellence. Winners receive $1,000 and recognition at a banquet. There are multiple ways to qualify, including SAT scores, being a National Merit Scholar, and overall good grades, etc.

When applying for the award contestants have to supply two recommendation letters and must write an essay on a given topic, which last year was,“In your opinion, what does it mean for books to ‘act as both mirrors and windows’ for readers? Citing specific examples, explain how the books you’ve read have done this for you (or not).”

With so many applicants, winning this award is a huge honor, and it reflects very well on our school. When asked how she felt about winning, Grace Qi said, “I feel very fortunate and grateful to be one of the students to have received this honor as I know there were so many qualified candidates who also applied. I’m excited to connect with other students across the state who are also academic all-staters, and additionally live up to the faith that people have put in me in the future!”

If anyone has any questions about future applications, please refer to your guidance counselor. Congratulations to these students!