STRUTHERS Math whiz aims for perfection

A high school student got perfect math scores on two college placement tests.
By JoANNE VIVIANO
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
STRUTHERS -- When he got a 32 out of 36 on the ACT math and language arts assessment test, Rick Nelson wanted to do better. So he took it again and raised his score to 33. That means he rated among the top 1 percent of high school seniors nationwide.
It still wasn't perfect, so the Struthers High School student took it again and awaits the results.
On the SAT math and verbal skills test, he scored a 1410 out of 1600, landing him in the 97th percentile. He'll take that again in a week.
But there is one test Rick won't take again: the SAT II subject test in Mathematics II. He's already aced it with a top score of 800.
He was shocked. He knew he'd done well, but he didn't expect perfection.
Looking ahead
Teachers describe as "humble" this teen who holds a 4.0 grade point average and takes a calculus course at Youngstown State University. Rick, who said he's liked math ever since he can remember, has set his sights on a mathematics major when he starts college full-time next year.
"There's a mystery to it. It's very interesting to me to figure out stuff and solve problems," said Rick, who is an admitted perfectionist. "I have a quest for knowledge. I can't stand not knowing stuff or getting it wrong."
Rick is considering various universities, including Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, the University of Chicago and New York University, as well as the Ivy League schools Princeton (N.J.) University and Columbia University in New York City. His ACT and SAT scores will be one of the things college admissions offices consider when he applies. (For the record, on the math section of the ACT, Rick scored a 100 percent.)
Praise from teacher
"He's an incredible student," said Terri Rogan, a trigonometry and pre-calculus teacher at Struthers High School. "For me, as a teacher, having a student like Rick is challenging and stimulating. The questions he asked gave me better insight.
"I definitely will miss him. I'm lucky to have had him in my teaching career. He's a bright light."
Rick's parents are Richard and Marydonna Nelson of Struthers. His dad is an engineer with CSX railroad.
"Both of them are very proud of me," said Rick, who has one older sister, Lori. "They never went to college. They're kind of amazed by how much times have changed since they went to school and how much more we're able to learn."
Linda Simerlink, a Struthers High School algebra teacher, said Rick always asked for more difficult work when he advanced ahead of other students in her class.
"It's like a coach, when you have an athlete that has not only a work ethic, but a natural ability," she explained. "That is how it is to have a student like Rick. I've had good students before, but never with the passion he has for the subject."
Skill like Rick's comes around once a year or every two years, said Dr. Douglas Faires, a YSU professor who knows Rick from when the educator ran math study sessions for middle school and high school pupils. "I think we've raised the level of awareness about what kids can do," Faires said. "They've always been around but we haven't been aware of them and haven't done much for them."
Other activities
But the teen does more than punch a calculator.
He is president of the band and plays trumpet in the high school marching band. He's an actor and president of the school drama club. And he's president of the school's National Honor Society chapter, through which he organized a Toys for Tots collection and is helping out with a canned food drive. When he has time, he puts in hours at his job at Friendly's restaurant in Poland.
In fact, Rick, who turns 18 in January, said he's so busy that he hasn't had the chance to take driver education classes.
"It's very rare that a student has the determination to do everything he does," said Struthers High School English teacher Richard Gage, the drama club adviser. "I think his future is very bright and full of promise and I think he knows the meaning of success.
"Rick comes from the inside. It's not about material things for Rick. It's about expressing what's inside and what's important."