Senior London Jessie Awarded with Academic Honors from College Board National Recognition Programs

August 24, 2023 – Silsbee High School senior, London Jessie, earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs. These programs celebrate students' hard work in high school and showcase their strong academic performance. The academic honors for rural area, Black, Indigenous, and/or Latino students are an opportunity for students to share their strong academic achievements with colleges and scholarship programs that are seeking to recruit diverse talent.

Awards earned:

·       National African American Recognition Award (NAARA)

·       National Rural and Small Town Award (NRSTA)

"London strives for excellence in both academics and athletics," said High School Counselor Erin Smith. "His intrinsic motivations towards achieving his future goals make London an exemplary example of Silsbee ISD's vision for our students—'students are equipped with the values to envision a better world, the skills to create it, and the confidence to take the lead. – Values. Skills. Confidence'.

To earn these honors students must show strong academic performance in the classroom and on College Board assessments like the PSAT/NMSQT®, PSAT™ 10, and AP® exams.

The criteria for earning Nation Recognitions include:

·       GPA of 3.5 or higher.

·       PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 assessment scores that are within the top 10% of assessment takers in each state for each award program or earned a score of 3 or higher on 2 or more AP Exams in 9th and 10th grade.

·       Attend school in a rural area or small town, or identify as African American/Black, Hispanic American/Latino, or Indigenous/Native.

Eligible students are invited to apply on BigFuture during their sophomore or junior year and are awarded at the start of the next school year in time to share their achievements in high school as they plan for the future. At the same time, colleges and organizations using College Board’s Student Search Service™ can connect directly with awardees during the recruitment process.

"As London pursues his future endeavors in the field of science, I have full faith that he will serve as a role model for other Silsbee students," said Mrs. Smith.