Academic All-State Scholars
The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence announced today the recipients of its prestigious 2008 Academic All-State Awards. These 100 top public high school seniors, selected from 512 nominations statewide, hail from 72 different schools in 62 Oklahoma school districts.
The 2008 Academic All-State Class is the 22nd to be selected by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. Since the award program’s inception in 1987, some 2,200 high school seniors from 288 school districts have been named All-State scholars. Each of this year’s All-Staters will receive a $2,000 scholarship and a medallion. The All-Staters will be recognized at the foundation’s 22nd annual Academic Awards Banquet on Saturday, May 17, at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center in Tulsa.
David L. Boren, chairman and founder of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, describes the selection of the scholars as “Oklahoma’s most rigorous academic competition.” To be nominated for Academic All-State, students must meet one of the following criteria: an American College Test (ACT) composite score of at least 30; a Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) combined critical reading and math score of at least 1350; or be selected as a semi-finalist for a National Merit, National Achievement or National Hispanic Scholarship.
This year’s All-Staters scored an average of 32.5 on the ACT, with four recipients scoring a perfect 36. In addition, 78 of this year’s All-Staters are National Merit semifinalists, while three are National Hispanic semifinalists.
Academic All-Staters are nominated by their principals or superintendents and are selected on the basis of academic achievement, extracurricular activities and community involvement, as well as an essay submitted by each nominee.
The selection committee, which is chaired by Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Marian P. Opala, works independently of all other foundation activities. The committee members are a diverse group of business, education and civic leaders. Academic All-State alumni and former Medal for Excellence winners also sit on the selection committee.
| All-Stater | Hometown | High School |
| Ms. Melissa Laub | Altus | Altus High School |
| Ms. Linda Nolley | Altus | Altus High School |
| Ms. Amanda Jantz | Ardmore | Dickson High School |
| Ms. Alia McCrite | Ardmore | Lone Grove High School |
| Mr. Bradley Youngblood | Atoka | Tushka High School |
| Mr. John Sloan | Bartlesville | Bartlesville High School |
| Ms. Amanda Fischer | Bixby | Bixby High School |
| Mr. Ross Sheline | Bixby | Bixby High School |
| Mr. David Wyatt | Bristow | Bristow High School |
| Mr. Aaron Dowler | Broken Arrow | Broken Arrow High School |
| Ms. Sarah Hagan | Broken Arrow | Coweta High School |
| Ms. Elaine Shan | Broken Arrow | Union High School |
| Mr. John Kalka* | Carney | Perkins-Tryon High School |
| Ms. Ashley Zumwalt | Choctaw | Choctaw High School |
| Mr. Gabriel Conners | Claremore | Claremore High School |
| Mr. Joseph Hart | Claremore | Claremore High School |
| Mr. Mitchell West | Claremore | Claremore High School |
| Mr. Evan Wright | Claremore | Sequoyah High School |
| Mr. Jacob Byers | Cleveland | Cleveland High School |
| Ms. Sara Shepherd | Clinton | Clinton High School |
| Ms. Jordan Helton | Coalgate | Coalgate High School |
| Ms. Kayla Bowden | Crowder | Crowder High School |
| Mr. Kevin Marlow | Durant | Durant High School |
| Ms. Danielle Goldbeck | Edmond | Edmond Memorial High School |
| Mr. Zachary Ming | Edmond | Edmond Memorial High School |
| Ms. Marlene Morgan | Edmond | Edmond North High School |
| Ms. Amy Pearce | Edmond | Edmond North High School |
| Mr. Mitchell Ross | Edmond | Edmond North High School |
| Ms. Erin Watson | Edmond | Edmond North High School |
| Mr. Sean Lucas | Edmond | Edmond Santa Fe High School |
| Ms. Kalli Wolf | Edmond | Edmond Santa Fe High School |
| Ms. Shannon Winters* | Edmond | Edmond Santa Fe High School |
| Ms. Gabrielle Chen | Edmond | Oklahoma School of Science & Mathematics |
| Ms. Emily Fuhr | El Reno | El Reno High School |
| Ms. Katherine Blakley | Enid | Enid High School |
| Mr. Dennis Burgart Jr. | Enid | Enid High School |
| Ms. Jerrica Becker | Fairview | Fairview High School |
| Mr. Jared Pembrook | Fairview | Fairview High School |
| Mr. Zachary Dennis | Fittstown | Ada High School |
| Ms. Lindsey Campbell | Garvin | Haworth High School |
| Mr. Cory Riddle | Hennessey | Hennessey High School |
| Mr. Brian Wall | Idabel | Haworth High School |
| Ms. Mary Lyn Graves | Jenks | Jenks High School |
| Mr. Conghua Ye | Jenks | Jenks High School |
| Ms. Brooke Sheppard* | Lawton | Eisenhower High School |
| Mr. Joseph Gaasbeck | Lawton | Lawton High School |
| Mr. Eddie Shimp | McAlester | McAlester High School |
| Mr. Trevor Brownen | Minco | Minco High School |
| Mr. Christopher Dorst | Moore | Moore High School |
| Mr. Michael Quinton | Moore | Moore High School |
| Mr. Scott Lowe | Muskogee | Hilldale High School |
| Mr. Willie Reaves Jr. | Muskogee | Muskogee High School |
| Mr. Alexander Weber-Kamin | Mustang | Mustang High School |
| Ms. Erin McLean | Newcastle | Newcastle High School |
| Mr. Austin Taylor* | Norman | Del City High School |
| Mr. Joshua Wegemer | Norman | Norman High School |
| Ms. Hanzi Zhang | Norman | Norman High School |
| Mr. Gaurav Ghosh | Norman | Norman North High School |
| Mr. Tuan Nguyen | Oklahoma City | Carl Albert High School |
| Ms. Jennifer Keller | Oklahoma City | Westmoore High School |
| Ms. My Lien Nguyen | Oklahoma City | Westmoore High School |
| Ms. Madison Sandefer | Oklahoma City | ASTEC Charter High School |
| Ms. Laura Walters | Oklahoma City | Classen School of Advanced Studies |
| Ms. Jennifer Melot | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma School of Science & Mathematics |
| Ms. Tiffany Varughese | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma School of Science & Mathematics |
| Mr. Brendan Hill | Oklahoma City | Putnam City North High School |
| Mr. Jonathan Shirley | Oklahoma City | Putnam City West High School |
| Mr. Zachary Grimmett | Okmulgee | Oklahoma School of Science & Mathematics |
| Ms. Maggie Maltsberger | Oologah | Oologah High School |
| Mr. Karl Francel | Piedmont | Piedmont High School |
| Mr. Ted Harrison | Piedmont | Piedmont High School |
| Mr. Adam Lewis | Ponca City | Ponca City High School |
| Mr. Eaphy Mao | Ponca City | Ponca City High School |
| Mr. Chad O’Connor | Ponca City | Ponca City High School |
| Ms. Alexandria McNeely | Quapaw | Miami High School |
| Mr. Cal Humphrey | Rocky | Sentinel High School |
| Mr. Jason Pina | Roosevelt | Snyder High School |
| Mr. Eric Miller | Sapulpa | Sapulpa High School |
| Mr. Casady Fletcher | Seminole | Seminole High School |
| Ms. Ashley Neel | Seminole | Strother High School |
| Ms. Kirsten Neel | Seminole | Strother High School |
| Ms. Menghan Zhao | Stillwater | Stillwater High School |
| Mr. Daniel Merriott | Stilwell | Stilwell High School |
| Ms. Amber McKnight | Stroud | Stroud High School |
| Ms. Susan Moring | Tecumseh | Tecumseh High School |
| Ms. Allison Bishop | Tonkawa | Tonkawa High School |
| Ms. Christina Jackson | Tulsa | Jenks High School |
| Mr. William Chyan | Tulsa | Booker T. Washington High School |
| Ms. Susanna Michael | Tulsa | Booker T. Washington High School |
| Ms. Meredith Nelson | Tulsa | Booker T. Washington High School |
| Mr. Duncan Staggs | Tulsa | Tulsa Memorial High School |
| Ms. Catherine Roberts | Tulsa | Tulsa School of Arts & Sciences |
| Mr. James Buchanan | Tulsa | Union High School |
| Mr. Rafe Coker | Tuttle | Tuttle High School |
| Mr. Michael Vaughn | Verden | Verden High School |
| Ms. Robyn Emory | Wagoner | Wagoner High School |
| Mr. Kale Goerke | Watonga | Watonga High School |
| Ms. Samantha Watson | Weatherford | Weatherford High School |
| Ms. Jessica Rowe | Westville | Westville High School |
| Mrs. Lora Worley-Bryant | Woodward | Woodward High School |
*indicates the 2008 All-State Scholar is the sibling of a previous winner.