KIRKWOOD, Mo. — It's safe to say some local students 'understood the assignment!'
Not one, not two, but three Kirkwood High School seniors aced the ACT.
Helena Verbrugge, Sara Simkins, and Ezra Mendelson earned a perfect score of 36.
That's quite an accomplishment when you consider on average, less than one-tenth of 1% of students who take the test earn the top score.
5 On Your Side caught up with Verbrugge and Simkins at school, where they talked about their future plans.
Verbrugge already has a full scholarship to Mizzou.
"I definitely want to do something in the environment hopefully environmental engineering," she said.
Her top picks are Vanderbilt or Michigan, but says Mizzou is a nice backup plan to have because "going out of college debt-free would be kind of nice."
Simkins is keeping her options open while she waits for a response from multiple schools.
"I've been admitted to the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia, and I've applied to a whole bunch of universities up and down the east coast that I am waiting to hear back from," Simkins stated. "Ideally I would like to study international relations and go into international health or the foreign service."
Both Helena and Sara say they scored in the 30's during a previous test, but decided to try one more time for the highest possible score.
As for Mendelson, he says "I love most nerdy pursuits."
One of his favorite subjects is math but he truly enjoys all classes and teachers, according to a news release from Kirkwood Schools.
After graduating from KHS, Mendelson plans to tap into his math skills with a career in the casino field as a croupier.
Verbrugge, Simkins, and Mendelson were involved in extra-curricular activities during thier time at Kirkwood High.
To read more about each student, click here.