Students take initiative

Students at Mammoth Spring and Salem high schools have taken the initiative to seek out higher education by more of them taking the ACT test.

Both Salem and Mammoth Spring high schools received the "2009 College Readiness Award." The schools received this honor for increasing the number of students taking the ACTs over the past five years and increasing their level of achievement and college readiness.

"The ACT Assessment is the college admissions test that is used and accepted by all colleges nationwide and throughout Arkansas. In 2009, over 70 percent of Arkansas students took the ACT which is the predominant college admissions and readiness achievement test in Arkansas," according to the Arkansas ACT Council.

"The Arkansas ACT Council wanted to recognize those Arkansas high schools that have made significant strides in increasing the college readiness of their graduates as demonstrated by their ACT score increases over the past five years. This can only happen as a result of the high school's faculty and staff efforts and the dedication of (Salem and Mammoth Spring) high school students and parents to focus on college readiness and raise the level of college readiness for all students," Karen L. Pennell, assistant vice-president and ACT Southwest Regional manager, said. "Less than 10 percent of all high school in Arkansas were honored for this superior level of accomplishment."