Ballwin Middle-Schoolers Invited to Duke University for Honors

Seventh graders from Ballwin and the Rockwood School District were recognized last week by the Duke Talent Identification Program for exceptional ACT or SAT scores and bright futures ahead.

The ceremony took place on Monday, May 23  at Cameron Indoor Stadium on the university's Durham, North Carolina Campus.

Students honored included Annissa Bensalah, Abigail Schilly and Mason Smith from ; Shu Han and Alexander Rapach from ; and Grant Glazebrook from .

Annissa Bensalah, a seventh grader from Ballwin who attends Selvidge Middle School, said she was especially impressed by the university's campus.

"It was big," Annissa said. "The architecture was beautiful and the campus was gorgeous."

The Duke Talent Identification Program (or TIP) actively searches for academically advanced seventh graders with test scores equal to or better than 90 percent of college-bound seniors who took the same tests. Only students who score in the 95th percentile on a grade-level achievement test qualify for the program.

This year, of more than 71,000 students taking these college tests, 24,847 students were invited to attend State Recognition Ceremonies and 2,085 students were invited to the Grand Recognition Ceremony at Duke University, which honored seventh graders who scored in the top three percent of those tested.

In addition to the campus itself, Annissa said the school's Nasher Museum of Art, the gardens and the University Lemur Research Center all were particularly memoriable.

"The whole trip was a great experience," Annissa said. "I was honored to be part of the ceremony and proud of my hard work.”