Seniors at the head of the class

Eight members of the Reed-Custer High School Class of 2018 have received a prestigious award for academic excellence, honored as 2018-19 Illinois State Scholars.

The statewide list of top scholars is released annually by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), the state agency committed to helping make college accessible and affordable for Illinois families.

This year’s RCHS Illinois State Scholars are Madelyn Alton, Breanna Fielder, Haley Mazon, Cory McGregor, Madison Murphy, Jacob Stockin, Emily Wolf, and Ilias Yeck.

The State Scholar Program identifies graduating high school seniors across the state who possess superior academic potential.

While State Scholar recognition does not include a monetary prize, students receive congratulatory letters from ISAC and personalized Certificates of Achievement are sent to each high school for distribution.

Included in the congratulatory letter is information regarding a new digital Illinois State Scholar badge issued by ISAC. State Scholars can display the badge on their online profiles and social media accounts, and share them with high school counselors, prospective colleges, employers, family members and others.

Approximately the top ten percent of graduates from approved high schools are announced as State Scholars each year.

Students must perform in the top one-half of their high school class at the end of the third semester prior to graduation, and/or score at or above the 95th percentile on the ACT or SAT.

Students from nearly each of the 200 public and private high schools in Illinois compete in the program.

In November, qualified Illinois high school students from across the state were designated as 2018-19 State Scholars, meaning those students will be college freshmen during the 2018-19 academic year.

A listing of all 2018-19 State Scholars can be found online, at www.isac.org.