Hawaii students excel in quest for academic honors

The only Hawaii student to earn a perfect score on the ACT college entrance exam this school year is a junior from Kaiser High.

Jason Cheng earned a top score of 36, joining an elite group of students nationally.

Among test takers in the high school graduating class of 2011, only 704 of more than 1.6 million students earned a composite score of 36.

Cheng was recently honored by ACT and Kaiser High during an awards ceremony.

The ACT consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science. Each test is scored on a scale of 1 to 36, and a student’s composite score is the average of the four test scores.

» Hawaii’s 2012 U.S. Presidential Scholars are Kimiko M. Matsuda-Lawrence, a student at University Lab School, and Kyle Y. Matsuda, from Hawaii Preparatory Academy.

The two are among 141 U.S. Presidential Scholars selected by the U.S. Department of Education.

Scholars are recognized based on scores on the College Board SAT or ACT assessments, school reports and transcripts, leadership activities, and contributions to family, school and community.

"I would like to congratulate Kimiko and Kyle for their hard work, focus and dedication in the classroom. Not only did they excel academically, they are active, productive members of their community," Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, said in a news release.

"A special thanks to their families and teachers who support these fine students and provide them the means to succeed. Their recognition is further proof that education is the greatest investment we can make in our future," Inouye said.

Presidential scholars include a male and female student from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and from U.S. families living abroad, as well as 15 chosen at-large and 20 Presidential Scholars of the Arts.

» Punahou School seniors Taryn Ishii and Travis Le were named the Hawaii winners of the 2011 Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement, which recognizes Advance Placement Program achievements in science and math.

They each win a $2,000 scholarship, and are among 101 high school students in 50 states recognized.

» ‘Iolani School won the 19th annual Hawaii Science Bowl competition and represented Hawaii in national competition last month.

Punahou, Maui High and Mililani High joined ‘Iolani as the top four of 20 schools from around the state in the competition, held at Hono­lulu Community College in January.

The ‘Iolani team traveled to Washington, D.C., last week for the National Science Bowl competition, in which 69 high schools participated. In round-robin competition, ‘Iolani finished fourth out of eight teams in the Galileo Division but did not advance to the next round.

Team members are Max Matsuda (team captain), Arnold Chang, William McQuiston, John Sakamoto and Michael Mow (alternate). Their coach is Randyll Warehime.

"We commend each and every student for their commitment, dedication and passion for math and science," said Steve Golden, president of the Hawaii Science Bowl executive committee. "This event serves as a stepping stone for our Hawaii high school students to excel and further their education. Special thanks goes to the coaches, who have spent hours of their own time preparing their teams, and all the volunteers who donate their time each year to make the event a success."

» Jonathan Gillentine of Kaneohe is one of the five finalists nominated for the Horace Mann Awards for Teaching Excellence. He traveled to Washington, D.C., in February to be honored.

Gillentine was recognized with a Zula International Early Science Educator Award in 2010 (NSTA) and as an Outstanding Early Childhood Practitioner (NAECTE) in 2007. He earned his doctorate in education from the University of Hawaii in 2005 and National Board Certification in 2003.