Perfect!

Student achieves score of 36

January 29, 2007|by DAVE McMILLION

CHARLES TOWN, W.VA. - Trevor Ford and academic success have been synonymous since the Jefferson High School senior was a boy.

When Ford was in first grade in central New York, he was in a gifted program. He again was enrolled in a gifted program at Shepherdstown Elementary School after his family moved to Jefferson County, said his mother, Susan Ford.

This year at Jefferson High School, Ford's schedule is loaded with advanced placement and honors courses, and he is vice president of the school's student government organization, the National Honor Society and the school's thespian troupe, according to his mother and school officials.

Ford's latest academic success came last week when he was honored for receiving a perfect score on the ACT college entrance exam, Jefferson County Schools spokeswoman Gail Woods said.

Ford scored 36 on the ACT, the only perfect score in West Virginia this year, Woods said. Woods said school officials also believe Ford is the first Jefferson County student to earn a perfect score on the test.

Only 75 students in the country this year received a perfect score, Woods said.

Ford, 18, also took the SAT college entrance exam, on which he scored 2,320 of a possible 2,400, Woods said.

"He's a very bright kid," Woods said.

Ford was honored by the Jefferson County Board of Education on Thursday for his perfect ACT score and was presented with a certificate and gifts.

Ford, who has a 4.23 grade-point average this year, would like to attend MIT and major in biology, Woods said.

Ford's mother said her son's interest in biology stems partly from his days as a youngster working on a farm and gardening with his father. Ford had the chance to work with farm animals and he developed a strong interest in nature, his mother said.

"We've had every kind of creature you can imagine," Susan Ford said.

Ford said he can remember a teacher at Shepherdstown Elementary School having an impression on him about learning.

"I just really liked his class. He opened our eyes to the possibility of learning," Ford said.

Other than that experience, Ford said most of his academic success has come naturally.

Other than brushing up on some math, Ford said he did not study hard for the ACT or SAT exams.

Among his interests are acting. Ford said he has a friend who has been dabbling in filmmaking, and Ford said he has acted in some of his friend's short films.

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