BE student-athlete scores perfect on ACT

Matthew Fishburne couldn’t believe his eyes – or his computer – when he recently logged on to check his most recent ACT score.

 

The Bishop England student-athlete had taken the exam before, but wanted to make sure he put his best academic foot forward. So, he took the test one final time.

 

The effort paid dividends. Fishburne, who is on the Battling Bishops’ football and track teams, logged on and saw his results. After he hit the F5 button for what seemed like forever, he accepted his fate: a perfect score, 36, on the ACT.

 

“I was just in shock,” Fishburne said. “I took the test before, but I didn’t think I would improve so much. Then I saw 36. I hit the refresh button five times. I didn’t think it was real. I couldn’t believe it.”

 

The ACT is a college admission exam and is used to gauge readiness for college. It consists of tests in English, math, reading and science with each portion scored on a scale of 1 to 36. A student’s composite score is the average of the four test scores.

 

A perfect ACT score is 36. A perfect ACT score is also rare.

 

Less than half of 1% (0.334) of test takers each year record a perfect score. That equates to about 5,500 students an academic year – nationwide.

 

Fishburne has some other impressive numbers. He has a 5.2 GPA on the Bishop England scale and has been ranked No. 6 in his class of 175 students the past two years.

 

He’s taking his time when it comes to the matriculation process. He’s whittled his list to about a dozen schools.

 

Ask Fishburne what his top schools are, and he will reply “Brown, Wake Forest, Notre Dame and Boston College,” adding, “that’s not in any particular order.”

 

You never know, but Fishburne’s playing days will probably be over when he begins college. His playing days almost came to an end last spring when he was involved in an automobile accident following a track meet at Wando High School.

 

He and his brother Michael, a passenger in the vehicle, both suffered concussions. Fishburne said it could have been a lot worse if not for his quick reflexes that allowed him to hit the brakes in time to stave off more injury.

 

“It could have been a lot worse,” he said. “It just goes to show how life can change in just a split second. Absolutely, it shows how precious life is.”

 

The injury forced Fishburne, who competed in the sprint events, to miss the remainder of the track and field season. He also missed spring football practice as well as summer workouts.

 

He finally was ready for some football, but was injured in fall camp and didn’t play in a game until Friday’s Region 8-AAA clash against Oceanside Collegiate Academy.

 

Fishburne, who plays receiver and safety for the Bishops’ football team, admits six losses in six games is a tough way to go out. But, he’s not giving up hope.

 

“We’ve had a lot of injuries,” he added. “If we can get healthy, we will get some wins.”