OMAHA WORLD-HERALD
2016 All Metro Academic Team First Team
Zachary Keller
Aditya Telikicherla
Nathan Singh
Omaha Brownell-Talbot
Gretna
All State Parents: Munna and Ram Telikicherla Rank: class of 28, school does not rank Test scores: 35 ACT, 2130 SAT National Merit finalist College plans: CalTech, mechanical engineering with aerospace focus My top achievements: Robotics and programming contests winner; Fuzzy Math research at Creighton; math and forenscis award winner; UNL electrical and computer engineering internship
Parents: Craig and Deanna Keller Class rank: 1 out of 205 Test scores: 35 ACT, 2110 SAT National Merit finalist College plans: UNO, computer engineering My top achievements: Academic Decathlon honors winner (individual and team); Spanish Club; marching band, concert, jazz and show choir bands.
Raymond Thai
Derek Chew Omaha North
Omaha Creighton Prep All State Parents: Ricky Singh and Brigitte Martineau Class rank: 3 out of 263 Test scores: 36 ACT, 2230 SAT National Merit finalist College plans: Fordham, environmental science/pre-med My top achievements: Tennis, including state individual champion; swim honors, including state individual title; regional Science Bowl team champions
All State Parents: Lian Ti and Chin Chew Class rank: 5 out of 326 Test scores: 35 ACT, 2190 SAT National Merit finalist College: UNL, math/actuarial science Top achievements: UNL Math Day winner; National Quiz Bowl qualifier; Science Bowl captain, state runnerup; Omaha Area Youth Orchestra, Youth Symphony and All State Band (oboe)
Omaha Brownell-Talbot
Julia Fiksinski
Omaha Creighton Prep
Aaron Salzman
Bridget Mizener
All State Parents: Benny Thai and Susan Zhang Class rank: 1 out of 576 Test scores: 36 ACT, 2330 SAT National Merit finalist College: Stanford; economics or computer science Top achievements: Tennis, captain (Millard North team); National Economics Challenge; Policy Debate champion; viola section leader (Millard North orchestra), All State Orchestra
All State Parents: Edmund and Magdalena Fiksinski Rank: class of 28, school does not rank Test scores: 2400 SAT National Merit finalist College plans: MIT, computer science My top achievements: VEX Robotics world championship qualifier; various state math contests winner; district and state superior music ratings (piano); jazz band (vibraphone)
Parents: Katy and Todd Salzman Class rank: 6 out of 263 Test scores: 36 ACT, 2220 SAT National Merit finalist College plans: Boston College, philosophy My top achievements: Speech and debate honors for informative speaking, duo and dramatic interpretation; poems selected for school publication; gold medal on National Latin Exam; lead male role in Marian High play
All State Parents: Jane Bailey, Martin Mizener Class rank: 1 out of 480 Test scores: 36 ACT, 2240 SAT National Merit finalist College plans: North Carolina-Chapel Hill, biochemistry, economics or history My top achievements: Copy editor for monthly school magazine; basketball, including team captain; track and field honors; intern in UNMC’s Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience
Edward Yuan
Michael Svolos Omaha Central
Omaha Duchesne
Parents: Donghui Yuan & Yuanchun Zhang Class rank: 1 out of 491 Test scores: 36 ACT, 2240 SAT National Merit finalist College plans: Notre Dame, computer science My top achievements: American Mathematics Competitions honor roll (top 1 percent in the world); Top 10 internationally in DECA Principles of Finance test; state golf qualifier
All State Parents: Carol and Tom Svolos Class rank: 9 out of 560 Test scores: 36 ACT, 2340 SAT National Merit finalist College plans: Stanford, math and computer science My top achievements: Math mentor; U.S. Presidential Scholar candidate; All State Band (flute)
All State Parents: Tian Zhang, Li Li Rank: class of 72, school does not rank Test scores: 35 College plans: Columbia, financial engineering My top achievements: Student Council, including student body president; created website for Omaha Chinese Cultural Association; Princeton’s Clown Academy and related service trip; Victor Borge Legacy Award winner for piano
Millard North
Millard South
Omaha Westside
Emily Zhang
Adam Dejka
Papillion-La Vista South All State Parents: Joe and Paula Dejka Class rank: 3 out of 392 Test scores: 35 ACT, 2280 SAT National Merit finalist College: New Mexico, biochemistry My top achievements: Wendy’s Heisman finalist; soccer, including metro champs, Journal Star All State and World-Herald All Metro; band, including Outstanding Marcher Award
Second Team Thomas Casart
Scott Beran
Lily Hock
Gino Nuzzolillo
Sean Lynch
Nicholas Pellett
Bellevue East Parents: Chris and Teresa Casart Class rank: 1 out of 373 Test scores: 35 ACT
Gretna Parents: Amy Beran & Richard Beran Class rank: 1 out of 205 Test scores: 35 ACT, 2007 SAT NM finalist
Millard North Parents: Maggie Sullivan Hock, Peter Hock Class rank: 5 out of 576 Test scores: 35 ACT, 2240 SAT NM finalist
Millard West Parents: Joseph and Jennifer Nuzzolillo Class rank: 5 out of 542 Test scores: 35 ACT, 2120 SAT
Omaha Skutt Parents: Sean and Mary K. Lynch Class rank: 4 out of 157 Test scores: 35 ACT, 2310 SAT NM finalist
Omaha Westside Parents: Todd and Susie Pellett Class rank: 3 out of 480 Test scores: 35 ACT
Tessa Stevens
Alex R. Jana
Sharadh Sivamani
Carolyn Marar
Gregory Tracey
Peter Pellett
Fort Calhoun Parents: David Stevens and Jeanne Karstens Class rank: 1 out of 56 Test scores: 35 ACT, 2150 SAT NM finalist
Millard North Parents: Ajoy and Laura Jana Class rank: 37 out of 576 Test scores: 35 ACT, 2360 SAT NM finalist
Millard North Parents: Jayasudha Sivamani & Sivamani Somasundaram Class rank: 2 out of 576 Test scores: 35 ACT
Omaha Duchesne Parents: Isam and Diana Marar Class rank: 0 out of 72 Test scores: 35 ACT, 2210 SAT NM finalist
Omaha Westside Parents: Stanley Tracey, Joan Tracey Class rank: 13 out of 480 Test scores: 35 ACT, 2260 SAT NM finalist
Omaha Westside Parents: Todd and Susie Pellett Class rank: 7 out of 480 Test scores: 34 ACT
About the program
The Omaha World-Herald has a rich history of educational support, including presenting scholarships to top graduates of Omaha area high schools since 1922. But we are especially proud of our All Academic Program. Each year, every secondary school in Nebraska and western
Iowa is invited to nominate its two top-ranked students for recognition. In addition, schools are asked to nominate any other senior who achieved a test score of 32 or better on the ACT, and/or a 2080 or better on the SAT. In 1994, the first year for our All State program, 447 nominations
came from 185 schools. (We started the program in 1992, honoring outstanding Omaha-area students. The recognition effort went statewide two years later, and, in 1998, a western Iowa team was added.) This year, 991 Nebraska nominations were received from
NM finalist - Indicates National Merit finalist
220 schools. Fifty Iowa schools in our circulation area nominated 119 students. While we wish that all 382 schools (308 in Nebraska and 74 in Iowa) invited to participate would nominate students, our number of nominations this year still totaled a
whopping 1,110. Our judges considered another very talented group of nominees: » 19 nominees scored a perfect 36 on the ACT and one posted a perfect SAT score of 2400.