Lemont High Student Achieves Perfect ACT Score

Every spring hundreds of students at must take the ACT college entrance exam. For more than a decade, no student at the high school has achieved a 36, the perfect score—until now.

Marjorie Dallmann, a rising senior, earned a 36 after taking the standardized test April 27. An experienced test-taker, Dallmann had taken the test a few weeks earlier and had prepared through the online program, prepme.com.

Although she had practiced plenty of times, she said she was still thrilled when she found out about her perfect score.

“I’m really excited about it,” she said. “It’s not something that happens every day and I just feel great about myself and it was a really great esteem booster, that I am smart and I can do things.”

With her perfect score, high class ranking and well-rounded resume of activities, Dallmann is aiming for prestigious schools that can offer her schooling in computer engineering, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Tech and Purdue.

Dallmann said she developed an interest in working with computers and web design after taking classes at school. In the coming years, she said she hopes to continue working with technology and someday create her own programs.

“I really like technology,” Dallmann said. “I just want to work on computers. Time flies when you’re having fun, right? Whenever I’m doing that stuff, it’s just enjoyable.”

In addition her interest in computer science and programming, Dallmann is an avid softball player. She currently plays for a travel softball team, which keeps her busy away from her schoolwork.

In fact, a teammate introduced her to the online study program, which helped Dallmann study for the test. Although every student must take the test, Dallmann said preparing is different for everyone; for her, it meant doing all she could to achieve a high score.

“I think I’m a pretty hard worker,” Dallmann said. “If I want to get something done, I will get my nose to the grind and do it. It’s definitely school first and then everything else.”

Dallmann said her parents were proud and actually more excited than she was about her score.

As for the faculty of Lemont High School, Tom Trengove, the principal, said he had never encountered a perfect ACT score in his long career in education. When he first heard about the perfect score, he had to double check that it wasn’t a rumor.

“You get up in into the 30s and it’s sort of like you’ve really hit a home run,” Trengove said. “What she hit was a grand slam and I think that’s a comparison she would appreciate.”

What comes next for Dallmann depends on the results of her college applications next year. Although her future isn’t definitive yet, Trengove said Dallmann will succeed no matter what path she chooses after she leaves the high school.

“Clearly, she’s a remarkably gifted young woman,” Trengove said. “It’s up to her now, and she can do great things that can transform a lot of people in a lot of ways. I have no doubt about that.”