Harrison County, MS) – 2018-19 is a history-making school year for ACT achievements in the Harrison County School District. For the first time, the Harrison County School District has four students who have achieved the highest score possible on the ACT, and all of them are only juniors.
The latest junior to earn a perfect 36 score is Chase Yano. His accomplishment also makes this a historic year for Harrison Central High School. Chase is the third junior at Harrison Central High to earn a top composite score on the test this year. The other two students are Chase’s close friends, Alyssa Stoner and Jeremy Wright.
“I was checking constantly, and this time, I pulled it up and saw that my April score was available. I clicked on it and saw I got a 36. I kind of did my victory lap around the house and let everyone know,” said Chase with a big smile on his face. “I’m happy! It’s good to have a 36.”
Chase has taken the ACT six times since his freshman year at Harrison Central High. He made a 30 on his first try, and has scored a 35 twice. Chase was determined to make a 36.
“Practice tests are vital for the ACT, so I would grind out practice test after practice test, along with making sure I paid attention in class,” Chase said. “One of my favorite things to do is when I’m lying in bed at night, I would pull up Khan Academy videos and watch those to kind of review material.”
Chase is a former West Wortham Elementary & Middle School student, and he credits much of his academic success to the dedicated teachers and rigorous courses in the Harrison County School District.
“If you want a 36, you have to put in the extra mile of your own efforts. But, I can’t be more grateful for what I’ve received at Harrison Central, especially my classes with Mr. Cody Eadie, English III and English II-A. Those classes are where I mastered the English and the reading tests,” Chase said.
Chase is known on campus as a well-rounded student and a strong leader. While he is active in various clubs at Harrison Central, Chase is most proud of starting a peer tutoring group, along with “HC Pathways”, a mentoring program for the freshmen class. Chase would like to attend a top 20 university after he graduates, and double major in economics and computer science.
Along with the three juniors at Harrison Central High, Michael Steil of D’Iberville High also made a 36 this year. Michael was recently honored by the Mississippi State Board of Education in Jackson.
“The ACT is one of the most important exams our students will take, because it is part of the college and university admissions process. A strong ACT score will likely result in various scholarship offers,” said Harrison County Schools Superintendent, Roy Gill. “All juniors in public schools across Mississippi are required to take the ACT. We are very excited to see that the trend of ACT scores is rising in the Harrison County School District, which means, our junior classes are getting stronger academically.”
For example, in 2018, D’Iberville High School had one of the top two highest ACT averages in South Mississippi.
“We are very proud of our students’ ACT achievements in the Harrison County School District!” said Gill.
The last time Harrison County School District had a top ACT score was in 2015, when two students at West Harrison High made a perfect 36.
You can hear more about Chase Yano’s ACT journey in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjYMUeU7QuA