Dear Editor:
Forgive a proud grandfather for telling this story, but I think it deserves to be told because too often we only hear stories of youngsters who get in trouble. My 14-year-old grandson, Sahil Padmesh Patel, has been a high honor roll student through all the years he has been eligible for that distinction in the Secaucus grammar schools. Sahil, the son of my son and daughter-in-law, Padmesh and Divya Patel, graduated from the Secaucus Middle School in June and will be attending High Tech High School in the fall.
Sahil had an exceptional 2014-2015 school year and was recognized for his academic achievements at year-end programs. As an advanced math student, he took 9th Grade Algebra I in the 8th grade and received a certificate in recognition of Outstanding Merit for Secaucus High School Algebra I First Place from MathFax. He was the first place winner in the Knights of Columbus Substance Abuse Awareness Poster Contest. He was a member of the National Junior Honor Society and was selected as a member of the Socrates Chapter, which is based on scholarship, service, leadership, character and citizenship. He was inducted into the National Geographical Society for placing first in the 2015 Geography Bee. He received a certificate for participating in the Mathematical Olympiads for elementary and middle schools 2014-2015 Olympiad contests and for participating “with distinction” in the Continental Mathematics League for 8th graders. Sahil also received a Certificate of Merit for outstanding achievement in the 2015 Scholastic Challenge from the American Scholastic Achievement League.
Sahil’s membership in the ROGATE Program enabled him to take the SAT test in May of this year—a test usually taken by upperclassmen preparing for college. Sahil received a Certificate of Achievement from the Educational Information and Resource Center in recognition of his “superior academic performance on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) taken during the 2014-2015 school year.” He received this recognition for achieving a total score of 2,157. His math score was 720 out of a score range of 690-750! This would be a terrific score for a senior, and he was just an eighth grader.
Like many grandparents, I am so very proud of my grandson and just wanted to share my pride with my community.
Sincerely,
Bhikhubhai Patel