EDUCATION
Spotlight: Riverwood rising senior earns perfect ACT score BY AMY WENK Nathan Nichols, a rising senior at Riverwood International Charter School, has earned a perfect ACT score of 36. According to ACT, less than 1% of students earn a top score. In the U.S. high school graduating class of 2020, only 5,579 of 1.67 million students who took the ACT scored a 36. The ACT consists of separate tests in English, mathematics, reading and science. “Earning a top score on the ACT is a remarkable achievement,” said ACT CEO Janet Godwin. “A student’s exceptional score of 36 will provide any col-
DeKalb County to require masks in schools
ic. “I really let my work ethic go as a result,” he said. “I kind of lost some determination.” Nichols said he’s interested in pursuing a career in mechanical or computer engineering. This fall, he plans to apply to schools including Georgia Tech. “I’m really excited to look into what kind of college opportunities I can have,” he said, adding math and computer science are his top subjects. He’s also president of Riverwood’s mountain biking club and is involved with the Georgia Cycling Association, where he competes in races. Some of his
BY SAMMIE PURCELL The DeKalb County School District will be requiring masks in school buildings, even for those who are vaccinated. According to the district’s website, all elementary school students will be required to wear masks due to the lack of vaccine access for this age group. All staff and students at middle and high schools will also be required to wear masks until further notice. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just revised its guidelines to say fully vaccinated individuals should wear masks indoors and in places of high transmission. The school district also cites rising cases of the Delta Variant – a lineage of the virus that causes COVID-19 that is more transmissible than other variants, according to the World Health Organization – as one reason for requiring masks. “Out of an abundance of caution, masks will be required in all buildings,” reads a statement on the school district’s website. “The district will review effective methods to identify students and staff who are vaccinated and will re-evaluate optional mask wearing.” A spokesperson for the DeKalb County School District said that virtual learning will be an option for students this year. At a July 12 DeKalb County School District meeting, it was stated that 2% of the student population had elected to go virtual at that time.
Nathan Nichols at Tallulah Gorge. Nichols, a rising senior at Riverwood International Charter School, earned a perfect ACT score. (Special) lege or university with ample evidence of their readiness for the academic rigors that lie ahead.” While he did take practice tests to prepare, Nichols will admit it comes naturally. “Honestly, I’ve always been kind of a test taker,” said the 17-year-old, son of Richard and Valerie Nichols. “It’s come a bit easy to me.” It’s quite an achievement, especially considering the challenging school year he weathered due to the pandem@reporter_newspapers DUN
favorite places to ride include the trails at Sope and Blankets creeks. This summer, he’s working at the Springs Cinema & Taphouse in Sandy Springs. His best advice for future ACT test takers? “Read the question first in the science section,” Nichols said. “They describe an experiment, and then the questions show up. You want to read the questions, and then check through the experiment.”
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