38 NorthWood students won the Rural & Small Town Award. Award winners include Owen Allen, Preston Andrews, Alexa Anglemyer, Ana Baltazar Prado, Sadie Beasy, Savannah Burns, Brennan Chilberg, Sebastian Church, Cohen Clayton, Grant Criss, Kathleen Cummings, Joselyn Edwards, Wilson Gay, Shelby Green, Payton Griffin, Haylee Heflin, Britton Jesse, Callie Johnson, Bryce Knepp, Ellison Miller, Emily Miller, Grant Miller, Joslyn Miller, Kayler Moore, Emma Norris, Kylie Pestow, Tyler Phillips, Lucas Ramer, Savannah Slone, Neleh Steiner, Jonathan Towler, Sophia Vincent, Jack Walter, Kate Wendzonka, Clara Wilson, Caleb Yoder, Hannah Yoder, and Roman Yoder. Photo provided by Nicole Young.

News Release

NAPPANEE — Students at NorthWood High School earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs. These programs celebrate students’ hard work in high school and showcase their strong academic performance. The academic honors for rural area, Black, Indigenous, and/or Latino students are an opportunity for students to share their strong academic achievements with colleges and scholarship programs that are seeking to recruit diverse talent.

At NorthWood High School, an impressive 38 students won the Rural & Small Town Award. Award winners include Owen Allen, Preston Andrews, Alexa Anglemyer, Ana Baltazar Prado, Sadie Beasy, Savannah Burns, Brennan Chilberg, Sebastian Church, Cohen Clayton, Grant Criss, Kathleen Cummings, Joselyn Edwards, Wilson Gay, Shelby Green, Payton Griffin, Haylee Heflin, Britton Jesse, Callie Johnson, Bryce Knepp, Ellison Miller, Emily Miller, Grant Miller, Joslyn Miller, Kayler Moore, Emma Norris, Kylie Pestow, Tyler Phillips, Lucas Ramer, Savannah Slone, Neleh Steiner, Jonathan Towler, Sophia Vincent, Jack Walter, Kate Wendzonka, Clara Wilson, Caleb Yoder, Hannah Yoder, and Roman Yoder.

“We’re thrilled to celebrate our students and recognize them for the great work they’ve been doing. We’re proud of their strong academic performance in the classroom and on College Board assessments like the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, and AP exams,” said Jade Sipic, Dean of Secondary Education. “There’s so much that makes our students unique, and receiving this honor reinforces this as an asset for their future.”

The criteria for eligible students include: maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher; PSAT/NMSQT assessment scores that are within the top 10% of assessment takers in each state and attend school in a rural area or small town, or identify as African American/Black, Hispanic American/Latino, or Indigenous/Native.

Eligible students are invited to apply on BigFuture during their sophomore or junior year and are awarded at the start of the next school year in time to share their achievements in high school as they plan for the future. At the same time, colleges and organizations using College Board’s Student Search Service™ can connect directly with awardees during the recruitment process.

“It’s becoming increasingly hard for students to be ‘seen’ during the college recruitment process. We’re exceptionally proud of the National Recognition Programs for celebrating students who are at times overlooked but have shown their outstanding academic abilities,” said Tarlin Ray, senior vice president of BigFuture at College Board. “This is a benefit not only for students but also for colleges and universities committed to recruiting diverse and talented students.”