NEWS                                                                                        Walnut Valley Unified School District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                  880 S. Lemon Avenue

December 13, 2011                                                                 Walnut, CA 91789

 

Contact:       

Kelli Gile, Office of Community Resources

(909) 595-1261 ext. 31204

Johns Hopkins University lauds top middle school students from around the world.

WALNUT, CA--William Widjaja, an 8th grade student at Suzanne Middle School, has been named among the 700 brightest young students around the world for the year 2010-2011 by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY).

William received the Exceptional Talent Award for scoring above 700 on the SAT in Mathematics before the age of 13.  He is among the select group chosen from more than 14,000 seventh and eighth grade testers around the world.

William qualified for the prestigious award last year when he was in the 7th grade and is among the select group lauded for exceptional performance on the SAT or ACT – the same tests taken by college-bound high school students.

The gifted students were honored by CTY at the Grand Ceremony held November 13 on the Johns Hopkins University campus in Baltimore, Maryland.

William was unable to attend last month’s Grand Ceremony and recently received his medal and certificate of recognition.

"Awards aren't everything, but the will to achieve them is everything,” he said.

Since 1979, CTY has annually sought the most academically able elementary and middle school students, and encouraged their enrollment in CTY’s annual Talent Search.

In 2010-11, more than 50,000 students from 50 states, the District of Columbia, and some 120 countries including China, South Korea, and Canada participated in Talent Searches offered through CTY. Students enrolled in the Talent Search tested through the fall and spring.

Students have also qualified for CTY’s residential summer programs, online classes, and family academic programs, where gifted students meet others like themselves from all over the world and have an opportunity to stretch their creative and intellectual wings, and discover where their special talents may take them.

Suzanne Middle School 8th grader William Widjaja proudly displays his certificate of recognition and medal from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth.