One local teenager just accomplished something extraordinary. Alessandro Marcolini is a 17-year-old Glendale student who recently scored 36 on the ACT, a standardized test used for college admissions. Scoring 34 or higher puts the test taker in the top one percent, but a perfect 36 is rare. Only 0.313 percent of all test takers earn a perfect ACT score.
Marcolini is a student at Great Hearts Glendale Preparatory Academy (GlendalePrep.GreatHeartsAmerica.org) at 23276 N 83rd Avenue in Peoria. Marcolini has been a Great Hearts student since second grade and is a member of the school's choir, tennis team, and robotics club. “I got into robotics after attending a coding camp in fifth grade,” he said. “I joined my school's robotics club in eighth grade.”
Marcolini started preparing for the ACT by taking practice tests, but he really attributes his success to always paying attention in class. He has always been a great student with a 5.6 “weighted” grade point average and 4.0 “unweighted.”
Marcolini resides with his parents and two younger siblings in Glendale. He says he is undecided on where he wants to attend college or what he wants to do as a career. As an incoming senior at Great Hearts, he's most looking forward to the class trip to Washington, D.C.
“The best thing to do when preparing for the ACT is to do well in school the whole time and really pay attention.”