Samuel Na, a member of Forest Road’s Class of 2019, was selected as one of only 84 Long Island students to be named a Long Island Young Scholar of Mathematics by the Institute of Creative Problem Solving for Gifted and Talented Students at SUNY Old Westbury.
Each year, approximately 700 exceptional students are nominated by school officials for a spot in the program. Samuel is in the top one-tenth of one percent of math students to be selected in his grade. He applied for the prestigious program as a sixth grader in Christopher Onorato’s class and went through a rigorous application process that included writing a statement, securing a teacher recommendation, taking an entrance exam and providing a school transcript.
According to Mr. Onorato, Samuel was a teacher’s dream who had a very gifted math mind and came across as humble. During extra help sessions, Samuel would engage in enrichment projects to continue building his math skills. As a Long Island Young Scholar of Mathematics, Samuel is part of the tuition-free institute that covers a variety of mathematical topics to enhance the problem solving skills of students. Starting in September, Samuel began taking Saturday morning classes at the institute. The program runs through March and consists of 20 Saturday morning classes, each two and a half hours long, with additional time outside of the classroom for special projects.
Congratulations, Samuel on this outstanding achievement!