MUSCATINE, Iowa–Four seniors at Muscatine High School have received National Recognition Awards from the College Board, the organization that offers Advanced Placement tests and the SAT. Kat Carver, Landon Castle, and Shelby O’Brien each received Rural and Small Town National Recognitions Awards, while Matthew Martinez received a Latinx National Recognition Award.

A program designed to honor high achieving students other awards may overlook, juniors may qualify for these awards if they maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or higher, have taken the PSAT and scored within the top 10% for their state, or have taken two advanced placement tests and received a score of 3 or higher on each of them. These awards help students stand out as they apply for college, technical schools, and scholarships.

Landon shared he felt, “good,” about receiving his award, as he thinks, “it will help with scholarships.” Landon plans to attend Iowa State University after graduating high school to study animal science. He intends to work as a veterinarian after finishing college and graduate school.

Matthew shared Landon’s pleasure in receiving recognition from the College Board, sharing he felt, “proud of myself. It shows I can do good.” Though Matthew has not decided what he intends to do after graduating from high school this spring, he thinks his award will help him in whatever he chooses to do. “I think it’ll make me stand out as someone different from most people,” he elaborated.

An aspiring author, Shelby will attend the University of Iowa this fall to double major in creative writing and bassoon performance. “I’ve always wanted to be an author, write books, and play in a symphony on the side,” she explained. Shelby stated she, “feels very accomplished,” for receiving a Rural and Small Towns National Recognition Award and believes, “it might help with scholarships.”

Over the past two years, Muscatine High School students have established themselves as regular recipients of the College Board’s National Recognition Awards. Silas Hoffman, now a first year student at Iowa State University studying mechanical engineering, received a Rural and Small Towns National Recognition Award during the 2021-2022 school year. Karena Jensen, a Muscatine High School graduate known for both her musical and athletic abilities, also received a Rural and Small Towns National Recognition Award in the 2021-2022 school year. With Muscatine High School continuing to have a large number of students enroll in advanced placement classes or take the PSAT as preparation for ACT and SAT testing their junior year, the number of College Board National Recognition scholars they have will likely only continue to grow.