District 7 celebrates 43 exceptional 8th graders from Carver Middle and McCracken Middle Schools, who have earned the prestigious title of South Carolina Junior Scholar! This recognition places them among the highest-achieving students in the state, and they are part of an elite group of Spartanburg County students who qualified out of nearly 3,900 8th graders across our seven school districts.
To achieve this distinction, students had to meet rigorous PSAT benchmarks set by the South Carolina Department of Education: 550 or higher on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing portion or 530 or higher on the Mathematics portion.
This remarkable milestone is just the beginning! Junior Scholars are on the path to competing in the prestigious National Merit Scholarship Program, where future recognition could include commended student, semifinalist, finalist, or even scholarship recipient status. With District 7’s rich tradition of National Merit success, we are confident these students will continue this legacy of excellence and make us all proud.
Superintendent Jeff Stevens shared powerful words of encouragement during the ceremony:
"Earning this academic distinction is truly a family commitment, and we are grateful for the partnership of our parents, teachers, and staff as we propel our students to the highest levels of achievement."
In addition to honoring each of our District 7 qualifiers, we celebrated the top-scoring students in the district: Colette Woodworth – Tied for the highest score in Reading and Writing, and Charles Kloserman – Tied for the highest score in Reading and Writing, as well as earning the highest Mathematics score and the highest overall score.
Meet Our 2025 South Carolina Junior Scholars:
Toymarla Beatty, Sarah Bell, Javier Blocker, Samuel Brannon, Hensley Brown, Gray Caldwell, Tyler Calfina, Giuliana Chapman, Abigail Clementson, Brooklyn Edmundson, David Evans, Wyatt Foley, Natalie Garcia-Martinez, Lauren Gillison, Rowan Green, Jacob Guevara, Marianna Hallenbeck, Joseph Higgins, Luke Hodge, Tradd Hodge, Andrew Hutchinson, Charles Klosterman, Hampton Lacey, Xiyue Lam, Raven Lebon, Miles Little, Eliza Martin, Carter McCarthy, Levi McLean, TyZariah Moore, Nandhan Muruganathan, Mahi Patel, Davis Petty, Nathaniel Price, Scarlette Pye, Loren Roos, Fidencio Cruz Santana, Isaac Schultz, Lucas Smith, Gavin Taylor, Olivia Whaley, Rhett Wiltfang and Colette Woodworth.
Let’s give a big round of applause to our Junior Scholars for their exceptional hard work, dedication, and achievement! Their success is a testament to their commitment and the support of the incredible teachers who have guided them along the way.