ELEVATE: National Merit Finalists Spark Success
Thursday, March 15, 2018
High achievers bring out the best in students, teachers around them
BURNS FLAT, OK (March 14, 2018) – One might not expect one of the top students in
the nation to come from a graduating class of 31. But here in this one-stoplight town,
that student is inspiring others to push themselves further and tapping into the energy
of high-achieving educators, including a Grammy-winning math teacher.
Ryne Garrison is the first National Merit Finalist in the history of Burns Flat-Dill
City High School and one of 150 exceptional high school seniors across Oklahoma who
have advanced in the National Merit Scholarship competition that awards about 7,500
scholarships worth more than $32 million.
But this confident, soft-spoken young man who uses “sir” and “ma’am” is more apt
to talk about his classmates’ academic accomplishments than his own. He’s quick to
credit the freshman who is leading the school’s academic team or the girls’ cross-country
team that has won the state academic championship for the last three years. Ryne praises
his teachers and counselor for opening up opportunities, and the principal of this
western Oklahoma high school describes their success as staff-assisted and student-driven.
“We’ve told all our students, if you can achieve it, we’ll get you to the place you
need to do it. We’ll hand you the tools,” principal Cliff McCown said.
Ryne took that as a challenge. As an eighth-grader, he approached math and science
teacher Chris Price and asked for a chance to take calculus in high school – even
though the class wasn’t offered.
“We started talking, and he asked me if there was something I thought would challenge
me a little bit more than what was being offered,” Ryne said. As a result, Price worked
with the administration to add calculus to the school course offerings despite only
Ryne and one other student taking the class, but Ryne said underclassmen are seeing
their success, and the popularity of higher-level courses is gaining momentum.
“Now there are a few students in the grade below who are interested in taking calculus.
After that, there will probably be four or five in the next class and hopefully nine
or 10 the next year,” Ryne said.
The versatility of Price, who co-wrote the Grammy-winning song, “That Lovin’ You
Feelin’ Again” with Roy Orbison in 1981, was critical in offering the breadth of higher-level
classes Ryne requested. Price is certified to teach 16 subject areas, including physics
and calculus, and is also Ryne’s school golf coach.
Exam as an equalizer
Ryne is headed to Oklahoma State University this fall to study industrial engineering
and management. He is interested in working for the government in resource distribution
-- in essence, getting water and power to regions that need it, such as Puerto Rico
after the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria.
McCown said assessments like the PSAT, which qualifies a student as a National Merit
Semifinalist, give high achievers like Ryne global exposure and level the playing
field for postsecondary opportunities.
“What I want Ryne to do is be great on a way bigger stage than Burns Flat-Dill City
High School,” McCown said. “Now he’s competing for scholarships with students from
everywhere. Sometimes in western Oklahoma, geography is a factor. But for Ryne it’s
not.”
Students are automatically entered into the National Merit competition if they take
the PSAT/NMSQT assessment in their junior year. From there, students with the highest
scores in each state are selected as Semifinalists. About 90 percent of Semifinalists
go on to become Finalists, who are highly sought after by universities across the
country.
“Annette Price is communications and constituent services specialist at the Oklahoma
State Department of Education.
To read about other National Merit Finals, visit the Oklahoma State Department of
Education website here, https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/OKSDE/bulletins/1e05772
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