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Academic Excellence Celebration Highlights Student Accomplishments

For this year’s end of the year academic awards, Superintendent Josh Cumpston wanted to do something different. Traditionally, the awards ceremony has consisted of a reading of senior scholarships, honor roll recognition, and a smattering of other awards. This year, Cumpston wanted to get more people involved and highlight other academic accomplishments. The celebratory tone was set by the NC band, which kicked off the event with a rousing song.

Cumpston recognized the entire senior class for its ACT average of 25.2, which is well above both the national and state averages. Additionally, the ACT average of those students who have attended Nebraska Christian for all four years of high school is 27.1. The senior class also stands out for having one National Merit Finalist (Katie Cumpston) and five students who received Regents Scholarships from the University of Nebraska system (Trevor Swanson, Zac Dockweiler, Tara Murphy, Alexis Hower, and Katie Cumpston).

A special award given for the first time this year was the TOEFL Award, presented by International Program Coordinator Eric Zanger. This award was presented to students who received a 95 (out of 120) or higher on the Test of English as a Foreign Language, a test that is required for international students who want to attend college in the United States. Zanger explained that a score of 95 is good enough for entry to most graduate schools and many doctoral programs. Three NC students received this award: Sophomore Kyle Kim, Senior Phillip Nguyen, and Senior Isabella Yang.

Other students specially recognized were those on the highest honors honor roll. Those students earned a 4.16-4.33 GPA during the school year. (Nebraska Christian recognizes the A+ and operates on a 4.33 scale.) This year, 25 students attained highest honors.

The celebration also included the recognition of four students, two junior highers and two high schoolers, who showed great improvement over the course of the year, as well as the 10 students who had perfect attendance for the year.. As the celebration ended, Activities Director Larry Schreiber handed out the NSAA Academic All State Awards for the winter and spring activities. The students were recognized for both their contributions within their sport or activity and their academic achievements.