OFE News Release
Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Announces 2011 Academic All-State Scholars
March 1, 2011
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence has announced the recipients of its prestigious 2011 Academic All-State Awards. These 100 top public high school seniors, selected from 597 nominations statewide, hail from 78 different schools in 69 Oklahoma school districts.
The 2011 Academic All-State Class is the 25th to be selected by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. Since the award program’s inception in 1987, some 2,500 high school seniors from 302 school districts have been named All-State scholars. Four Oklahoma high schools will celebrate their first Academic All-Stater, including Boone-Apache, Keys, Marietta and Morris.
Each of this year’s All-Staters will receive a $1,000 merit-based scholarship and a medallion. The All-Staters will be recognized at the foundation’s 25th annual Academic Awards Banquet on Saturday, May 21, at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in Norman. Renowned business leader, philanthropist and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will be the keynote speaker.
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 1340; 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 33 on the ACT, with four recipients scoring a perfect 36. In addition, 44 of this year’s All-Staters are National Merit semifinalists, while four are National Hispanic Scholars.
The Academic Awards Banquet is open to the public, with admission priced at $50. The awards ceremony will be televised statewide by OETA, the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority, at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 28. For more information, call the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence office at (405) 236-0006 or visit its website at www.ofe.org.
Founded in 1985, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is a statewide, non-profit organization dedicated to recognizing and encouraging academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. Through its Academic Awards Program, the foundation has provided more than $3.6 million in merit-based scholarships and awards to honor outstanding graduating seniors as Academic All-Staters and exceptional educators as Medal for Excellence winners. Other foundation programs include a Local Education Foundation Outreach Program; Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute Fellowships and Electronic Field Trip subscriptions; teacher grants for professional development; and a statewide, school-based mentoring initiative.
(EDITORS: The 100 Academic All-Staters are listed below by hometown and school. For more information on a particular student in your area, contact Brenda Wheelock at 405/236-0006.)
| All-Stater | Hometown | High School |
| Mr. Nathan Sacket | Aline | Fairview High School |
| Ms. Cassi Jo Loflin | Apache | Apache High School |
| Mr. Arthur Dixon* | Ardmore | Ardmore High School |
| Mr. Zakary Campbell | Ardmore | Dickson High School |
| Ms. Junjun Chen | Ardmore | Oklahoma School of Science & Mathematics |
| Ms. Alex Pellegrino | Bartlesville | Bartlesville High School |
| Mr. Carl Szmutko | Bartlesville | Bartlesville High School |
| Mr. Justin Yu | Bartlesville | Oklahoma School of Science & Mathematics |
| Mr. Justin Thrash | Bethany | Putnam City West High School |
| Mr. Bradley Isbell | Braggs | Fort Gibson High School |
| Mr. Bron Shoffner | Braman | Blackwell High School |
| Mr. Gregory Jones | Broken Arrow | Broken Arrow High School |
| Ms. Victoria Thomas | Broken Arrow | Broken Arrow High School |
| Ms. Erin Westbrook | Broken Arrow | Broken Arrow High School |
| Ms. Rachel Yauk | Buffalo | Buffalo High School |
| Ms. Caitlin Swisher | Chandler | Chandler High School |
| Mr. John Austin Bradshaw | Cherokee | Cherokee High School |
| Mr. Forrest Farjadian | Claremore | Claremore High School |
| Ms. AnnaBelle Owens | Claremore | Claremore High School |
| Mr. Austin McCullough | Clinton | Clinton High School |
| Ms. Jessica Neal | Duncan | Duncan High School |
| Ms. Khristen Anderson | Durant | Durant High School |
| Mr. Thomas Patrick Owens III | Edmond | Edmond Memorial High School |
| Ms. Megan Prasad | Edmond | Edmond Memorial High School |
| Mr. Patrick Richardson | Edmond | Edmond Memorial High School |
| Ms. Kristin Foringer | Edmond | Edmond North High School |
| Ms. Anjali Sawh | Edmond | Edmond North High School |
| Ms. Vivian Chen* | Edmond | Edmond Santa Fe High School |
| Mr. Kaleb Whiteley | Edmond | Edmond Santa Fe High School |
| Mr. Neil Pruthi | Edmond | Classen School of Advanced Studies |
| Mr. Eric Breon | Eufaula | Eufaula High School |
| Ms. Kelly Sokolosky | Fort Cobb | Fort Cobb-Broxton High School |
| Mr. Stephen Ogle | Fort Gibson | Fort Gibson High School |
| Mr. Caleb Cook | Grove | Oklahoma School of Science & Mathematics |
| Mr. Adam Stanley | Harrah | Harrah High School |
| Mr. Raul Orozco | Hennessey | Hennessey High School |
| Mr. Michael Rudkins | Hobart | Hobart High School |
| Ms. Caitlyn Cloud | Hominy | Hominy High School |
| Ms. Mackenzie Shipp | Idabel | Idabel High School |
| Mr. Joshua Thomas | Jenks | Jenks High School |
| Mr. Michael McCoy | Lawton | Eisenhower High School |
| Mr. Mitchell Bryant | Lawton | MacArthur High School |
| Mr. Trent Brownen* | Lindsay | Lindsay High School |
| Mr. Nathan Forest* | Locust Grove | Locust Grove High School |
| Ms. Lauren Rogers | Mannford | Mannford High School |
| Ms. Courtney Winchester | Marietta | Marietta High School |
| Ms. Austyn Roberts | McAlester | McAlester High School |
| Ms. Cierra Daugherty | Miami | Miami High School |
| Ms. Rebekah Stewart* | Miami | Miami High School |
| Ms. Parisa Pilehvar* | Midwest City | Carl Albert High School |
| Mr. Stephen Ross | Moore | Southmoore High School |
| Ms. Farra Dykes | Morris | Morris High School |
| Mr. Carl Cordero | Muskogee | Muskogee High School |
| Ms. Alina Lorant | Newcastle | Newcastle High School |
| Ms. Madison Robertson | Norman | Moore High School |
| Ms. Yuan Rui | Norman | Norman High School |
| Ms. Graycen Wheeler | Norman | Norman High School |
| Mr. Tyler Couch | Norman | Norman North High School |
| Mr. Rajat Ghosh* | Norman | Norman North High School |
| Ms. Clara Tang | Norman | Norman North High School |
| Mr. Zhongshi Wang | Norman | Norman North High School |
| Mr. Alex Watkins | Okarche | Okarche High School |
| Ms. Megan McRae | Oklahoma City | Bethany High School |
| Mr. Hayden Nunley | Oklahoma City | Westmoore High School |
| Mr. Joseph Brown | Oklahoma City | Classen School of Advanced Studies |
| Mr. Paco Moran | Oklahoma City | Harding Charter Preparatory High School |
| Mr. Aaron Roe | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma School of Science & Mathematics |
| Ms. Leigh Hibbard | Oklahoma City | Putnam City High School |
| Ms. Jiwon Song | Oklahoma City | Putnam City High School |
| Mr. Hunter Burke | Oklahoma City | Putnam City North High School |
| Mr. William Stringer | Oologah | Oologah High School |
| Mr. Eric Blosser | Owasso | Owasso High School |
| Mr. Matthew Ozturk | Park Hill | Keys High School |
| Ms. Haley Freeland | Pauls Valley | Pauls Valley High School |
| Ms. Harmony Hughes | Pawhuska | Pawhuska High School |
| Ms. Anne Uhlman | Perry | Perry High School |
| Mr. Justin Richert | Piedmont | Piedmont High School |
| Ms. Carol Southard | Ponca City | Ponca City High School |
| Ms. Morgan Kostka | Sallisaw | Sallisaw High School |
| Ms. Elizabeth Fairless | Sand Springs | Charles Page High School |
| Mr. Lucas Battershell | Shawnee | Dale High School |
| Mr. Rijul Gupta | Shawnee | Shawnee High School |
| Mr. Bryce Fugate | Sperry | Skiatook High School |
| Ms. Hannah Kadavy | Stillwater | Perkins-Tryon High School |
| Mr. Frank Xie | Stillwater | Stillwater High School |
| Mr. Chase Chamberlain | Stratford | Stratford High School |
| Ms. Samantha Liles | Sulphur | Sulphur High School |
| Mr. Max Megee | Tahlequah | Tahlequah High School |
| Mr. Michael Griffin | Tulsa | Jenks High School |
| Mr. Jonathan Michael* | Tulsa | Booker T. Washington High School |
| Ms. Sarah Daggett | Tulsa | Union High School |
| Ms. Paige Reiter | Tulsa | Union High School |
| Ms. Maureen Wolf | Tuttle | Bridge Creek High School |
| Mr. Zach Mussett | Valliant | Valliant High School |
| Ms. Rya Taylor | Weatherford | Elk City High School |
| Mr. Michael Rowe* | Westville | Westville High School |
| Ms. Kellie Reidlinger | Woodward | Woodward High School |
| Ms. Lisa Patrick | Yukon | Mustang High School |
| Ms. Sarah Bedell | Yukon | Yukon High School |
| Mr. Tyler Bowen | Yukon | Yukon High School |
*indicates the 2011 All-State Scholar is the sibling of a previous winner.