Perfect ACT :::

Five Lions reach perfection on ACT

Piles of blank Scantron sheets, #2 pencils sharpened to a point and pink erasers by the dozen can only mean one thing: college entrance exams. One of these exams, the ACT, is administered to more than 1.3 million students each year and on average, only one in every 4,000 students receives a 36, a perfect score. The Lyons Township High School class of 2009 boasts five of these students who earned top marks.

D. Bonistalli is considering a career in engineering or aerospace. He is a student of many talents. He has played piano since elementary school and taught himself how to play guitar. He hosted summer music and news shows over WLTL radio airwaves and is extensively involved at the Community Extension Project, from serving as a teen leader and homework tutor to helping children to read. He is a member of the soccer, math and tennis teams, and earned 1st place in tennis singles competition as a sophomore. He plans to apply to a variety of colleges and universities, including MIT, University of Illinois and Purdue.

J. Kelleher is busy inside and outside the classroom. She serves as secretary of the Math Team and president of the German Club, is a member of National Honors Society and serves as a peer tutor. She is a hostess at a local diner and a nine-year member of the Theatre of Western Springs. She’s an avid Chicago Bears fan, swam with sharks in Hawaii, and has traveled to nine countries. She hopes to study civil engineering and German language.

A. Radtke is multitalented and he has a wide range of interests, including music, athletics, travel and computers. He plays the guitar and drums, and although he has taken lessons, he is largely self-taught. He has enrolled in three Advanced Placement classes this semester, all while maintaining a part-time job two to three nights per weeks, plus additional time on the weekend. He hopes to pursue a career in research chemistry.

S. Shi has been involved in Math Team, Debate Team and Latin Club during her time at LT, but her involvement in co-curricular activities hardly ends there. She has volunteered at her local library and has served as a youth group leader and Sunday school teacher at church. She has also held three jobs during her high school career; including working as a coach, a hostess and a model.

S. Thalji recently achieved the Eagle Scout honor from the Boy Scouts of America, capping 11 years of community involvement and volunteerism with the organization. A few of his service projects include helping to remodel St. Helena’s church, building a gazebo and landscaping a local park, and building a computer lab for the Community Learning Project in Lyons. He has also devoted time to soccer and the math team at LT, all while earning high marks in his academic endeavors. He is considering universities across the country that offer research opportunities to undergraduates.

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