From the Novi News, June 18, 2009

  Achieving perfection

Catholic Central student scores a perfect 36 on ACT

BY NATHAN MUELLER

STAFF WRITER

Perfect

That is the score Detroit Catholic Central High School junior Matthew Nicholas got on the ACT in March, putting him in a category with only a select few other students in the state and nation.

'I am incredibly happy with the score and it opens up a lot of new possibilities for me," he said. I knew how good I could do because I took a bunch of practice tests and a course at school, but I didn’t think I was going to get a perfect score. It was really a surprise.

According to research from WW'W.act.org, the proportion of 2008 graduates to score a perfect 36 was l-in-3,300. And while it may have been a surprise to Nicholas, his counselor at school knew it was possible because of how hard he works. "Matthew is as nice and respectful as he is brilliant. And he is brilliant" said Shawn Mather. "To get a score like that is very exciting, but he is very humble about it and doesn't flaunt it at all."

On top of the perfect ACT score, Nicholas carries a cumulative grade point aver­age of 4.725, was a member of the state champion quiz bowl team, plays the trombone in the jazz and symphonic bands, writes for the school newspaper, was recently elected to the Novi Youth Council and much more. We are very proud of him, ' said his mother Maria Nicholas.

Matthew still has a year left of school, but his plans are to attend the University ofMichigan if he stays locally or go to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and study business and engineering.

"We are going to be hear­ing about him and it going to be wonderful to have a young man of his caliber as one of our future leaders in whatever area he decides to go into" Mather said.