Great Hearts Veritas Prep Students Sign National Letters of Intent

Katie Higgins and Lainey Stephenson
receive athletic scholarships 

PHOENIX, Ariz.— November 16, 2016 —Great Hearts Veritas Prep students Katie Higgins and Lainey Stephenson recently signed National Letters of Intent to Houston University and Lehigh University respectively.

Ms. Higgins is a champion swimmer and has numerous achievements throughout her high school career that include being a five-time state champion (three-time 100 Butterfly, two-time 200 freestyle), three-time All-American Consideration qualifier and three-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American. Her intended major in college is Kinesiology.

Ms. Stephenson excels in softball as a pitcher on the Veritas Prep team. She was ranked in the top 100 for softball players in the nation for the class of 2017 and the second girl in the state to reach 1,000 strikeouts. She is also a two-time Division IV Player of the Year, three-time Division IV All-State Team member and two-time Arizona All-Academic Team member. She plans to major in Biology.

“Katie and Lainey are tremendous student athletes who exemplify the well -rounded educational experience offered at Great Hearts Academies,” stated Eric Dall, Athletic Director at Veritas Prep. “Both of these young women work as hard on the field or in the pool as they do in the classroom. We are extremely proud of their accomplishments.”

About Great Hearts:
Great Hearts is a non-profit network of public charter schools dedicated to improving education nationwide through classical preparatory K-12 academies. As the largest provider of classical education in the country, Great Hearts academies serve more than 13,000 students at 28 public schools in greater Phoenix, Ariz. and San Antonio and Irving, Tex., with waitlists that typically exceed enrollment. Great Hearts provides a robust liberal arts curriculum incorporating advanced math and science, a focus on the arts and foreign language, and a range of extra-curricular activities and athletics. Learn more at www.greatheartsamerica.org.

Key Statistics:

• The Great Hearts SAT average over the past five years is 1210, a 200 point advantage over the national average.
• 98% of Great Hearts graduates immediately attend universities and colleges, with 2% participating in military service or a gap year; 54% of graduates pursue a STEM-focused course of study in college.
• The 340 graduates in the Great Hearts Class of 2016 were admitted to 327 colleges and universities in 46 states and seven countries.  In fact, graduates were accepted to 22 of the top 25 national universities according to US News and World Report.
• The class of 2016 received an estimated $50 million in scholarships, averaging out to an astounding $147,000 per student!
• Great Hearts academies performed well above state-wide averages on inaugural AzMERIT scores. Great Hearts’ pass rates were more than double those of peer district schools at the middle and secondary level, and +60% higher than peer institutions in elementary grades.

Contact:
Bill Odell
Director of Communications, Great Hearts
bodell@greatheartsaz.org
(602) 889-5034