Local Student Honored as 'One of the Brightest Middle School Students Worldwide'

October was quite a month for former Ralston Middle School student Warren Tseng.

Earlier in the month, Warren and 14 other students from the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District were recognized by the district for receiving perfect scores on their STAR tests in two (or more) subject areas during the 2011-12 school year. (Several of the students, including Warren, have since graduated from the district.) Warren is now a freshman at Carlmont High School.

Then, a few weeks later, Warren, a Redwood Shores resident, was on his way to Baltimore, MD where he was honored as one of the brightest middle school students worldwide at a national medal ceremony sponsored by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY). The honor is based on his performance last year as an eighth grader.

The Center honored Warren, one of 40,800 participants in the 2012 CTY Talent Search, for his exceptional performance as a middle school student on the college SAT, ACT or similar test. Among the more than 900 U.S. and international middle school students invited to the ceremony on the Johns Hopkins University campus:

• All earned exceptionally high scores that place them well within the top one-half of one percent academically of all same-grade students.
• At least 102 students achieved a perfect score on the reading or math section of the test taken.

CTY uses above-grade-level tests (such as the college SAT for middle school students) because they provide clear pictures of advanced students' academic abilities.

"We take this moment to look on with admiration and respect for these young people and their remarkable achievements being recognized today," said Elaine Tuttle Hansen, executive director of CTY at the Oct. 28 ceremony.

"It's a moment of great pride for the honored students, as well as for the educators and parents who have helped these promising young people come so far on a road that will lead them to do great things."

Past participants in the CTY Talent Search include Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Google cofounder Sergey Brin, and performer Lady Gaga.

Enrollment for this year is currently underway at www.cty.jhu.edu/ts.

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