A Fort Scott High School senior has scored a perfect score of 36 on the American College Test.  The test is a standardized one used for college admissions in the United States.

He is the son of Sonia and Dr. P.K. Gugnani.

The following is from a fortscott.biz interview with Gugnani:

What did you do to prepare for the ACT?

“It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I started taking a lot of practice tests, focusing more on evaluating my weaknesses and trying to increase my score. After taking a practice test, I would sit down, look at what I missed, and then try to learn the concepts so I wouldn’t miss a similar question. It took a lot of rigorous training and holding myself accountable for every mistake, but in the end, it was all worth it.”

Did you take it more than once?

“Yeah. The first time I took it in high school was as a junior in October 2020, and I scored a 34. I retook the test in February of the following year (2021) because the test was free for all juniors. That was the test that I scored a perfect 36 on.”

What are your future plans?

“I’m still weighing my options on what college I plan to attend, but I know that I want to pursue a career as a doctor. I hope to one day gain admission into medical school, complete residency, and settle down to practice medicine.”

Are there people who have helped you attain this honor?

“Absolutely. I would say my primary influences were definitely my parents since they always pushed me to be the best version of myself. They motivated me to take practice tests, and sometimes they even helped me find my errors or come up with strategies to pace myself on the test (since it is timed). My teachers were also really influential, specifically my previous AP Calculus teacher, Jeff Armstrong. He was always willing to lend a hand wherever he could, and a lot of his trigonometry lessons helped greatly on the exam. I’d also like to thank my brothers, Neil and Raj, as well as my close friends, for always providing moral support throughout all of my endeavors.”

When will you find out about the National Merit Scholarship?

“I was already named one of 15,000 finalists in the program in February; starting this month, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation will designate about half of those people as scholarship winners, receiving $2,500 each. Being a finalist, some colleges will offer their own scholarships just for attaining this status.”

What will that mean to you?

“Regardless of the scholarship, being a finalist is a huge honor to me. It not only solidifies my name in this exemplary academic program, but it gives me a sense of accomplishment, knowing that my hard work has paid off. I came from a small but mighty town, and together with those around me, I was able to rise up and achieve national recognition.”

The Early Childhood Community Partners are sponsoring an Early Childhood Spring Fling for ages 0-6 years on April 7th from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Families will have the opportunity to participate in family engagement activities. Early Childhood providers and community organizations may also provide brochures or flyers to promote their organizations to assist any family based on their level of need. The event will also honor the “Week of the Young Child”, which is April 4-8th.

The location is at the Fort Scott Preschool Center, 409 S. Judson.

For more information: 620.223-8965.

The USD 234 Preschool Round-Up is on May 6th from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. They are currently accepting applications and the qualifications are listed on the flyer. Families may call the Fort Scott Preschool Center at 620-223-8965 for more information. The preschool is located at 409 Judson.

NEWS RELEASE

Monday, March 7, 2022

Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met at the Board of Education office on Monday, March 7, 2022, for their regular monthly meeting.

President James Wood opened the meeting.  The board approved the official agenda.  The board also approved the consent agenda as follows:

A.    Minutes

B.    Bills and Claims

C.    Payroll – February 18, 2022 – $1,430,277.49

D.    Financial Report

E.     Activity fund accounts­­­­­­

There was one comment in the public forum section of the meeting.

Written reports were shared by principals.  In addition, the board heard reports from Dalaina Smith, Academics Director; Ted Hessong, Superintendent; and Gina Shelton, Finance Director/Board Clerk.

Superintendent Hessong gave an ESSER III update.

Board members approved the following:

·       Contract with HTK Architects for options to expand the preschool center

·       Pre-funding early retirement recommendation

·       Membership in the Greenbush Perkins Consortium

·       Boiler repair with CDL

Board members shared comments and then went into executive session to discuss employer-employee negotiations.  The board returned to open meeting and then went into executive session for preliminary discussion relating to the acquisition of real property.  The board returned to open meeting and then went into executive session to discuss personnel matters for nonelected personnel.  The board returned to open meeting and approved the following employment matters:

A.    Resignation of Mary Jo Harper, Eugene Ware music teacher, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year

B.    Resignation of Kristin Duffey, Eugene Ware fifth grade teacher, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year

C.    Resignation of William Hall, high school math teacher, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year

D.    Resignation of Carrie Southwell, Eugene Ware third grade teacher on leave of absence, effective March 3, 2022

E.     Resignation of Jennifer Hartman, high school English teacher, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year

F.     Retirement of Jim Pruitt, central office maintenance, effective May 12, 2022

G.    Resignation of Judy Warren, Eugene Ware paraprofessional, effective February 24, 2022

H.    Resignation of Jennifer Durkin, high school paraprofessional, effective March 11, 2022

I.      Leave of absence for Hayden Travis, Winfield Scott second grade teacher

J.      Addition of a high school counselor position and a middle school counselor position for the 2022-23 school year

K.    Employment of Suzan Durnell as the elementary instructional coach for the 2022-23 school year

L.     Employment of Jonathon Barnes as a high school social studies teacher for the 2022-23 school year

M.   Employment of Lannette Wood as a high school paraprofessional for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year

N.    Employment of Makyah Goldsby as a middle school intramural track coach for the 2021-22 school year

O.    Employment of Kathi Hall as a high school assistant softball coach for the 2021-22 school year; A stipend for Dave Martin as a high school assistant swim coach for the 2021-22 school year

P.     Addition of a high school assistant boys’ tennis coach for the 2021-22 school year

The board adjourned.