Seth Fairchild (center), assistant director of the Chahta Foundation, congratulates Academic All-Staters Todd Riddle (left), a graduating senior from Roland High School, and Brady Sorrels, a senior from Byng High School, during the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Academic Awards Banquet, held recently in Tulsa.
Choctaw Nation scholars take home honors
Two Academic All-Staters sponsored by the Chahta Foundation](https://chahtafoundation.com) were honored at the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Academic Awards Banquet in Tulsa on May 16. Brady Sorrels and Todd Riddle were among 100 outstanding seniors from Oklahoma public schools who were honored during the presentation.
Each of this year’s All-Staters were recognized at the foundation’s annual Academic Awards Banquet at the Renaissance Tulsa Convention Center. They will receive a $1,000 merit-based scholarship and a medallion.
Brady Sorrels from Byng is a member of the Oklahoma Indian Honor Society and the National Honor Society. He is president of Native Voices and a member of the state-qualifying Academic Bowl team. A Fellowship of Christian Athletes leader, Brady is active in mission opportunities in his community and internationally. He and other youth organized a program providing meals, fellowship, and a Bible study for residents in local apartment complexes. He also participated in a mission trip to Nicaragua and is an intern for Voice of Hope Ministries in that country. Brady plans to attend East Central University, majoring in pre-medicine.
Roland’s Todd Riddle is an Oklahoma State Regents Scholar and a class valedictorian. Vice president of the Technology Student Association, he is a TSA state champion in eight events and a national finalist. A four-year member of the Quiz Bowl team, he also serves as co-captain. Todd volunteers at the Ft. Smith Museum of History, and, through TSA, has participated in Toys for Tots and collected donations for Relay for Life. He is president of the National Honor Society, the Honor Club, and the senior class. He plans to study computer engineering at the University of Oklahoma.
To be nominated for Academic All-State, students must meet one of the following criteria: an American College Test (ACT) composite score of at least 30; a Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) combined critical reading and math score of at least 1340; or be selected as a semi-finalist for a National Merit, National Achievement or National Hispanic Scholarship. This year’s All-Staters scored an average of 33 on the ACT, with 10 recipients scoring a perfect 36. In addition, 31 of this year’s All-Staters are National Merit semifinalists, while two are National Hispanic Scholars.
The 2015 Academic All-State Class is the 29th to be selected by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. Since the award program’s inception in 1987, some 2,900 high school seniors from 316 school districts have been named All-State scholars.