DRAFFENVILLE – Marshall County High School is pleased to announce that Taylor Young has been selected to join The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky. He is the son of Jason and Stacey Young, of Benton.
“The competitiveness of The Gatton Academy’s admission process has continued to increase over the years,” said Dr. Lynette Breedlove, Director of The Gatton Academy. “This year was no exception, as the Class of 2017 is a remarkable group. We look forward to our expansion next year and being able to admit a greater number of students. Kentucky has a wealth of exceptional students of whom the state can be proud.”
The selected students scored an average composite of 30.82 on the ACT and 30.58 on the mathematics portion of the exam. The highest possible score is a 36. Applicants were evaluated based on ACT/SAT scores, high school grades, awards, extracurricular activities, responses to essay questions, and letters of recommendation. Last month, 108 candidates were invited to interview with community leaders from across the Commonwealth and Gatton Academy alumni.
The goal of The Gatton Academy is to enable Kentucky’s exceptional young scientists and mathematicians to learn in an environment that offers advanced educational opportunities, preparing them for leadership roles in Kentucky.
Moreover, The Gatton Academy assists in preparing Kentucky to compete in a knowledge-based economy by increasing the number of scientists and engineers who live and work in the state. Students will complete their junior and senior years of high school living in Bates-Runner Hall this upcoming school year before moving back into a renovated Florence Schneider Hall.
The renovation of Florence Schneider Hall will allow for The Gatton Academy to admit 100 students each year, starting with the Class of 2018. At the end of their two-year course of study, students will graduate from high school with a minimum of 60 college credit hours. The Gatton Academy is Kentucky’s first state-supported, residential program for high school students with interests in advanced science and math careers and one of only 15 such programs in the nation.
In 2012 and 2013, Newsweek named The Gatton Academy the nation’s top public high school and in 2014, The Daily Beast named The Gatton Academy the nation’s top public high school.