For the Reporter

The U.S. Department of State has awarded Thomas Pham, a Kentwood High School student, one of 65 scholarships to study abroad on the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad program.

The competitive, merit-based award covers the full cost of an academic year abroad, providing Thomas a full immersion experience through living with a host family in Turkey, attending a Turkish high school, and helping develop the skills necessary to be a leader in the global community.

The YES Abroad program is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Through his participation in the YES Abroad program, Thomas will be at the forefront of citizen diplomacy, serving as a “youth ambassador” in his host country, promoting mutual understanding by building lasting relationships with his host family and friends, and through community engagement in volunteer service and leadership training.

The Kennedy-Lugar YES program was first authorized by the U.S. Congress in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, as an effort to increase dialogue and understanding between the U.S. and countries with significant Muslim populations.

KSD surpasses state average in reading, writing proficiency

The preliminary rate of passing the Reading and Writing High School Proficiency Exams (HSPEs) exceeded 96.5 percent for the Kent School District class of 2013. This is higher than the state passing rates of 93 percent.

About 290 additional students have signed up to take the August Reading and Writing HSPE as of June 30. KSD expects the rate to increase after results are tallied and reported in the fall.

Passing the HSPE is required for graduation. Final results will be available in the fall.

Elsewhere

Kent’s Ian Durnford and Garrett Van Hook made the spring semester honor roll at Montana State University. … The following students from Kent recently graduated from Seattle Pacific University: Tiffany Bond (bachelor of science degree, nursing); Charis Chinn (magna cum laude, bachelor of arts, sociology); Arim Choe (cum laude, B.A., sociology) and Deandra Muschett (B.A., communication, communication studies emphasis). … Kent’s Jennifer Gorman made the spring semester dean’s list at Linfield College (McMinnville, Ore.). … The State Superintendent of Public Instruction selected Northwood Middle School to participate in the 2014 administration of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests. Northwood will represent student performance nationally. NAEP is the largest nationally representative measure of student achievement throughout the country.