McKnight Middle School eighth-grader Samuel Shank has been named one of Washington state’s brightest scholars by the Washington Search for Young Scholars program, sponsored by the University of Washington (UW).

Shank took the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) — a college entrance exam — and scored equal or greater than 65 percent of college-bound high school seniors also taking the test.

The SAT was a prerequisite for a summer college-level math course in which Shank was interested.

Shank is now eligible to participate in summer programs at the UW’s Robinson Center, and to enroll in special distance learning courses through Northwestern and Duke universities.

Washington Search for Young Scholars is a regional talent search to identify Washington’s most academically advanced students in grades five through eight.