Sesalie Rhinehart, a seventh grader at Polk County Middle School in Columbus, was recently honored for an exceptional score on the ACT by the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP) at the Grand Recognition Ceremony on May 24 at Cameron Indoor Stadium on the Duke University Campus in Durham.

The Duke University Talent Identification Programs (Duke TIP) 7th Grade Talent Search identifies students in 16 states in the southeast, midwest and southwest who have scored in the 95th percentile on a grade-level achievement test. As part of the program, these academically talented students take above-level college-entrance exams (SAT or ACT) to learn more about their abilities.

The Grand Recognition Ceremony honors those seventh graders who earned scores on the SAT or ACT equal to or better than 90 percent of college-bound seniors who took the same tests. Of the more than 61,000 seventh graders who took either test nationally this year, 1,903 students, representing the top three percent, were invited to the Grand Recognition Ceremony. Yale University professor Dean S. Karlan, Ph.D. served as the ceremonys keynote speaker.

Rhinehart, the daughter of Andy and Leslie Rhinehart and the granddaughter of Butch McGaha, all of Columbus, also attended the State Recognition Ceremony at Davidson College. State recognition ceremonies honor seventh graders who have earned scores equal to or better than half of the college-bound seniors who took the tests.

Working with host academic institutions, Duke TIP sponsors 34 state ceremonies in its 16-state talent search region during the months of May and June. Speakers include university administrators and professors from the host institutions, state and government officials and accomplished former Duke TIP students.

For 30 years, Duke TIP has identified gifted students for their intellectual capacity and honored them for their outstanding achievements. Through our recognition ceremonies, we celebrate these achievements and encourage honorees to realize their tremendous academic potential, says Martha Putallaz, Ph.D., executive director of Duke TIP and professor of psychology at Duke University.

The Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) is a non-profit educational organization that is recognized as a leader in identifying and serving the educational needs of academically gifted youth. Through identification, recognition, challenging educational programs, information, advocacy and research, Duke TIP provides resources to gifted students, their parents, educators, and schools for the development of the students optimal educational potential.