March 25, 2002
Contact: Gina Thompson (509-963-2752/fax 509-963-3460/e-mail: alumni@cwu.edu)
ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Tomorrow night, (March 26) more than 100 of north-central Washington’s top prep scholars will be recognized for their academic excellence during Central Washington University’s annual High School Honors Night. Sponsored by the CWU alumni association, the program, at the Wenatchee Convention Center, begins Tuesday at 7 p.m. It will be preceded by a social half-hour with refreshments at 6:30 p.m.
“It’s appropriate that these students be acknowledged and recognized for the hard work they have put into their studies,” Gina Thompson, CWU alumni association events coordinator, says.
The program honors juniors in the top 20 percent of their classes at high schools throughout Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties. They will learn about college options, university entrance requirements, campus visits and the significance of entrance exams.
“We want to encourage them to continue with some formal education after high school, be it a community college, university, trade or technical school,” Thompson notes.
Some of the scholars may become first-generation college students, so honors night information is designed to supplement what they — and their parents — are getting from their high school counselors. It will include details about university entrance requirements, the role campus visits play in the college selection process and the significance of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or American College Test (ACT) scores.
Speakers will include CWU President Jerilyn S. McIntyre; Kristie Willsey, Cashmere, a fourth-grade teacher and member of the CWU alumni association board of directors; and Mateo Arteaga, the director of the CWU Educational Opportunity Center. EOC is designed to help adults begin or continue a program of postsecondary education.
The honored students will receive certificates of recognition for their academics and, if requested, the CWU alumni association can provide a letter of recommendation to a student’s college of choice, Thompson adds.
A record number of 1,256 freshmen were enrolled for fall quarter classes at CWU. Of that number 70 were from Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties.
