From Deseret News archives:
2 Utahns 'perfect' on ACT
What's unusual? One is only 16 the other a mere 14
A piano is the ultimate stress reliever for 16-year-old Lenyae Howard.
Brewer also swims, and when he lived in France, played rugby. Piano is just one of Howard's instruments she plays the oboe, mellophone, saxophone and drums.
All those things "extracurricular activities," in the vernacular of teachers really are just fun diversions from the pressures of classes, grades and scholarship applications.
And although they live in different parts of the state and do not know each other the number 36 has given them something in common.
That number is the score both earned on the ACT, a college entrance exam.
It's a perfect score.
"Generally, we get between one and three (perfect ACT scores in Utah) every year," said Mark Peterson, spokesman for Utah's State Office of Education. "But I don't recall the last time I saw a freshman do it."
Others could still do it this year. Some test results haven't yet been received.
"There were only 22 people (with perfect scores) out of 411,000 who took the test," Ashcroft said.
"When I heard she got it I called her in to tell her congratulations. She said, 'You want to see it?' I've seen a million of them, but when you see 36, 36, 99 percentile, 99 percentile, it's kind of fun to see."
The parents of both students say their children are intelligent but it was hard work that pushed them ahead.
Brewer, who attends Timpview High School in Provo, has taken the ACT and SAT numerous times through the University of Denver's Rocky Mountain Talent Search, which allows scholastically gifted students to chance to take college entrance exams before high school.
His mother, Brigham Young University German professor Cindy Brewer, spoke to him and his five younger brothers in German from the time they were born.
Brewer mastered other languages through studies-abroad programs in Germany, Mexico and an area outside the Bordeaux region of France.
Some programs were funded through a scholarship Brewer earned, said his father, Bruce Brewer, an academic adviser at Utah Valley State College.
Howard, who will be 17 when she graduates in May, is also the oldest child of the Smithfield family, with three younger brothers. Her mother, d'Nell Howard, is a nurse practitioner, and her father, Ray Howard, is a civil engineer.
Comments
- Rescuers reach stranded hikers 10:49 a.m.
- Blind woman follows the Son 10:41 a.m.
- Madoff's yacht on auction block 10:23 a.m.
- Report: OSHA needs to improve 10:21 a.m.
- GM reports $1.2B loss 10:20 a.m.
- Bacall, 2 others receive early Oscars 10:16 a.m.
- '2012' has box-office bang of $225M 10:13 a.m.
- Cox ready to shriek in 'Scream 4' 10:11 a.m.
- 'Hair' opens London with B'way cast 10:10 a.m.
- 'Twilight' part of heartthrob history 10:08 a.m.
- Apostle's wife felt comfort in attack
- MWC expand? Get rid of deadweight
- TCU stays 4th in AP; Y. 19th, U. 23rd
- Bennett at center of GOP storm
- Win in New Mexico good for Y?
- BYU happy to escape with victory
- Relieved Cougs prep for Falcons
- TCU creams U.
- Jazz rookies had to grow up quickly
- Wounded Utes limp home
- TCU creams U.
231 - BYU happy to escape with victory
231 - Editorial: Mormons and gay rights
208 - Will state consider gay rights law?
151 - Can BYU root for (ick) Utah Utes?
131 - RSL heads to MLS title game
130 - Utes remain silent about BCS
120 - TCU stays 4th in AP; Y. 19th, U. 23rd
105 - Celtics crush Jazz
104 - 5A: Bingham rolls to title game
89
Sears is holding a special VIP night Sunday, Nov. 15, in stores and online.
How do you handle kids and contests? Our oldest daughter, 7, is of the...
One of you Sloan haters, can you please tell me the name of a rookie that...
Can't the championship game end in a tie so nobody gets their feelings hurt?...
"I know we losted and it hurts but we must go on utah fans." Spoken like a...
Remember the early season hype? RSL expected to do well, an early favorite...
According to the testimony of Martin Harris, Mr. Smith often used the "seer...
You can have your healthcare, and you will have so much time to spend sitting...
I believe this attempt to excuse a terrorist in the midst of the US military...
We Win
One cannot help but wonder how one gets a shovel stuck in one's forehead....
One thing I learned from the Cleveland game is that Coach Sloan needs to take...


You can be the first to comment on this story.