
At Harpeth High School, students who make a 30 or above on the national college readiness assessment test are being recognized in a special way.
The school recently created the “30+ Wall of Fame” and framed pictures of nine students already hang on the wall.
They are seniors Carson Gensert, Jordan Baldwin, Tristan Davenport, Julia Brackman, Nathan Edmonds and Summer Bowden and juniors Jared Higgs, Jay Collier and Stephen Jacobs.
The highest composite score a student can achieve on the ACT is a 36.
At many high schools, it’s not uncommon to see walls or displays dedicated to significant sports accomplishments, but notable academic achievements are often overlooked.
The idea to create the wall came from Harpeth Assistant Principal Shannon Schliwa, who noticed a similar display at another high school.
Harpeth Principal Dr. Lee Rector said the wall serves as an incentive for students to set high standards when taking the ACT.
“We want to emphasize the importance of the ACT because the higher the score, the better chances our students will have at obtaining full-tuition college scholarships,” he said.
As additional students make the grade on the ACT, their picture will be added to the wall.
A student’s picture will remain on the wall until they graduate from Harpeth. After graduation, the name plaque that is attached to the picture will remain so the achievement will always be remembered.
These students also earn a “Harpeth Way Card” that gets them in Harpeth events for free while they are students.
In addition to the ACT wall, Rector said Harpeth plans to host “academic signings” like it does when a student-athlete signs a college scholarship to play sports.
The academic signings will be held for students who earn full-tuition college scholarships.
“We want to give these students their own place in the spotlight because they have worked hard in the classroom to get where they are,” Rector said.