Newton County Schools is proud to celebrate the academic achievements of students from Alcovy High School, Eastside High School, and Newton High School who have earned academic honors through the 2026 College Board National Recognition Program. The annual program recognizes high-achieving high school students from across the nation for their academic excellence, providing an official distinction that helps them stand out to colleges and scholarship programs.
This year, dozens of Newton County Schools students joined more than 300,000 students nationwide in earning recognition through the 2026 College Board National Recognition Program. Students earned recognition through one or more of the program’s national award categories, honoring outstanding academic achievement and performance on College Board assessments.
“Congratulations to each of these outstanding students for earning this well-deserved national recognition,” said Dr. Ashante Everett, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning. “This achievement reflects their dedication to academic excellence and the hard work they have invested throughout their high school careers. We are proud to celebrate their success and grateful to our teachers, school leaders, and families for supporting these students as they prepare for bright futures.”
To be eligible for the College Board National Recognition Program, students must be in the 10th or 11th grade, maintain a cumulative GPA of B+ or higher, and either earn a score of 3 or higher on two or more AP® Exams by the end of 10th grade or rank among the top 10% of test takers in their high school, among first-generation college students in their state, and/or among rural and small-town students in their state.
The program recognizes students through three award categories:
• School Recognition Award
• Rural and Small-Town Recognition Award
• First-Generation Recognition Award
Recipients receive an official academic distinction through College Board’s BigFuture® platform, helping them stand out to colleges and scholarship organizations as they prepare for postsecondary education.
Newton County Schools proudly recognizes the following students for earning academic honors through the 2026 College Board National Recognition Program.
Rural and Small-Town Recognition Award:
Alcovy High School: Murphy Brothers, Noah Waid-Martz, Rhonda Grider Purchase, James Fuqua, Julian Herrera, Leona Swint, Jose Serrano, Ismael Bonifacio, Joanna Ramon-Beltran, Amani Miley, and Adeshola Adewumi.
Eastside High School: Robert Pascual, Shane Sorrell, Addelyn Consuegra, Viksar Vittal, Brody Ewing, Benjamin Parson, Oliver Reid, Alexis Anderson, Sydney Pascual, Kaleb Blazina, Dylan Angeles, Nigel Williams, Ronnie Triplett, Madeline Schembri, William Pope, Riley Cantrell, Fern Tredeau, Ava Davis, Leila Shaw, Janelle Ferdilus, Nathaniel Igarashi, Lucas Dickson, Isabella Vazquez, Katie Parr, Cooper Stokes, Mckenzie Herndon, Joevi Munakwa, Dustin Lowe, Beverly-Claire Schembri, Madison Jackson, and Kyra Stewart.
School Recognition Award:
Alcovy High School: Noah Waid-Martz, Rhonda Grider Purchase, James Fuqua, Destiny Scales, Julian Herrera, Leona Swint, Jose Serrano, Ishmael Bonifacio, Joanna Ramon-Beltran, Katelyn Allen, Azaya Foster, Makayla Darnell, Amani Miley, Amari Baker, Adeshola Adewumi, Elena Hatton, Autumn Vandeweghe, Isis Jones, and Elizabeth Mendez.
Eastside High School: Robert Pascual, Shane Sorrell, Addelyn Consuegra, Viksar Vittal, Brody Ewing, Benjamin Pars, Oliver Reid, Alexis Anderson, Spencer DeMar, Kaleb Blazina, Dylan Angeles, Nigel Williams, Ronnie Triplett, Madeline Schembri, Riley Cantrell, Fern Tredeau, Calen Smith, Ava Davis, Leila Shaw, Nathaniel Igarashi, Lucas Dickson, Isabella Vazquez, Katie Parr, Cooper Stokes, Mckenzie Herndon, Joevi Munakwa, Dustin Lowe, Beverly-Claire Schembri, Madison Jackson, Janelle Ferdilus, Kyra Stewart, and Amelia Russell.
Newton High School: King Jones, Kiya Griffin, Sophia Mabie, Deshon Hardeman, Temilade Sowole, Bethany Edmondson, Mya Burrell, Morgan Roach, Skyler Farley, Amaya Abong, Charles Simmons, Zion Reed, Kaliyah Collier, Kaleb Williams, Payton Tremblay, Iara Molina, Austin Wright, Mya Edwards, Rileigh Greene, Justin Malcom, Aissata Sacko, Jayden Tuggle, Tristian Thomas, and Ethan Lee.
First Generation Recognition Award:
Alcovy High School: Murphy Brothers, Destiny Scales, Julian Herrera, Leona Swint, Jose Serrano, and Joanna Ramon-Beltran.
Eastside High School: Viksar Vittal, Spencer DeMar, Kaleb Blazina, Ava Davis, Isabella Vazquez, Katie Parr, and Madison Jackson.
Newton High School: Charles Simmons.