Academic excellence

This year's North Dakota Academic All-State teams have been selected, and New Rockford-Sheyenne's Keaton Cudworth has been named to the Class B Silver team.

All totaled, 190 high school seniors in North Dakota were nominated by their school's principal and went on to compete for statewide recognition in either the Class AA, Class A or Class B divisions.

Each student was named to either the Gold, Silver, Bronze or Honorable Mention team. Selection was based on grade-point averages, ACT or SAT scores, extracurricular activities, community involvement and leadership qualities.

Cudworth, as one of just eight named to the Class B Silver team, will receive a certificate of merit from the North Dakota Association of Secondary School Principals (NDASSP).

"I'm feeling really good about getting on the team!" said Cudworth. "I feel like I've worked pretty hard at school my whole life, and it feels good to have it pay off."

Cudworth is active in athletics and other extracurricular activities at NR-S. He's made quite a name for himself as an excellent pitcher in baseball, and also plays football and golf.

But as his selection to the Silver team suggests, arguably his most success in high school has come in academics.

Cudworth said he's particularly proud of his grade-point average (GPA) and ACT score. His GPA is an impressive 4.13 and he scored a 31 on his ACT out of a possible 36. And now that his high school career is coming to an end, Cudworth is targeting an ambitious career path.

"I have decided that I will be going to UND next fall," said Cudworth. "I'm going to be majoring in pre-med biology and hoping to go on to become an orthopedic surgeon."

Cudworth also wanted to express gratitude to one of the teachers at NR-S that's helped him achieve so much already.

"I would like to recognize Kent Brown for pushing me to be a better student," he said. "I loved that his way of teaching taught me how to use the formulas to solve problems rather than just showing me answers. Because of this, I learned critical thinking and problem-solving skills that have helped me do good in school."

In addition to his certificate of merit, Cudworth will also receive a medallion from the NDASSP, along with every other member of the Gold, Silver and Bronze teams.

And in only a few days, WDAY and Forum Communications will also air a digital presentation honoring all the medalists. The Class B presentation will air on Friday, March 1, between the two semifinal games in the afternoon of the Class B girls' state basketball tournament.

Other local students named to the Academic All-State Team include Emma Selensky of Harvey, Allison Thomas of Pingree-Buchanan and Kacie Rexin of Carrington, all of whom were named to the honorable mention team.