Dozens of Hamilton School District students participated in the Midwest Academic Talent Search (MATS) by taking above-grade level tests to measure their intellectual abilities. Seven students who took the EXPLORE, ACT or SAT tests were recognized for exceptional performance among Wisconsin students, and two students were noted for their exceptional performance in the Midwest.
Students qualified for MATS based on their scores on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam. Qualifying seventh and eighth grade students took the ACT or SAT, which are college entrance exams normally given to high school students. Fifth- and sixth-graders who qualified for MATS took EXPLORE, a test normally given to eighth grade students.
Templeton Middle School seventh-grader Julie Posh and Marcy Elementary School fifth-grader Marlee Williams earned outstanding scores in MATS and were invited to the June 3 awards ceremony at Northwestern University. They were among only 650 students from eight Midwestern states invited to the event, which will be on the Evanston, Ill. campus.
In addition, the following students were recognized as top performers in Wisconsin: Michael Newman, Templeton seventh grade; Nathan Goecks, Lannon fifth grade; Kurt Nejedlo, Maple Avenue fifth grade; and Caroline Hope and Allison Kline, Marcy fifth grade.
Other Templeton students who participated in MATS were: Shaye Adams, Robert Albrecht, Jasmine Badreddine, Melanie Beaudry, Morgan Burns, Justin Buschke, Aaron Davis, Erica Dawley, Steven Deau, Allison Ehlert, Kirsten Fischer, Krislyn Follmann, Sarah Geier, Sara Glomski, Kelsey Gratz, Jenna Harvestine, Kimberly Hillmer, Tyler Hoell, Lindsay James, Jennifer Janusz, Kelsey Jasinski, Sarah Kirsch, Matthew Kline, Andrew Kristensen, Corey Last, McKenzie LaValle, Anthony Lee, Melinda Marquardt, Paula Myatt, Kelsey Rajchel, Brian Richards, Kathleen Richards, Eric Sutton, Benjamin Todd, Amanda Wagner, Kathryn Weinand, Lauren Willoughby, Michael Yu, Talon Zarling and Zachary Zarling.
Other elementary students who participated were: Miranda Brown and Brandon Josi from Lannon; Emily Jansen, Conner Roozen, Miranda Simes, Marissa Weiman, Samantha Williams and Annamarie Zuzick from Maple Avenue; Megan Klein, Andrew McClone, Cameron Pothier, Emily Tighe, Kyle Youngblood and Harrison Yu from Marcy; and Katherine Bitz, Alexander Dowlding, Hannah Jasinski, A.J. Mamerow, Corinne Olson and Tyler Wischnefski from Woodside.
MATS is a program of Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development that offers testing for academically talented students in grades 3-9. MATS has been serving students in the Midwest and beyond since 1981. Nearly 31,000 students use MATS each year to help them understand their abilities and plan for their future. It is a well-researched and respected program model in gifted education.