At least by one measure, Nick DeVoll is perfect.
At age 15, as an Archbishop Murphy High School junior, he scored a perfect 800 on his math SAT score.
“I was like, wait a minute,” Nick said. “I usually make a stupid mistake. OK, good, my calculator was working that day.”
Overall he scored 1,980 on the test out of a possible 2,300.
His lowest mark, 550, was in reading.
“He’s very literal,” said his dad, Chris DeVoll. “He can calculate things, but have him interpret stories and it gets a little gray. English was the area he was kind of average.”
Kind of average isn’t a phrase usually associated with his son, who had picked up some basic DOS computer commands as a toddler, was reading 100 words a minute after kindergarten and then skipped first grade.
He graduated from Archbishop Murphy earlier this month at age 16.
He will celebrate his 17th birthday Aug. 5, just in time to be able to enroll at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma.
“We were sweating it,” his dad said. “PLU wasn’t going to let him on campus at age 16 due to insurance issues.”
In the fall, his son plans on taking classes in computer science, math, calculus and a writing course on banned books.
A number of colleges and universities contacted Nick about applying at their schools. His parents hoped that he would choose one just far enough away, but still close enough to be home in a few hours, his dad said. “Academically, he’s all ready for college, but he’s still 16.”
Nick said he is looking forward to both the academic challenge and the welcoming atmosphere at PLU.
He spent a day shadowing a PLU student who “knew pretty much everyone who passed him.”
“Right now, my social skills aren’t the best,” he said. “I’m hoping when I’m at PLU I can meet everyone in my wing and get to know them personally.”
He said he isn’t worried about being one of the youngest students at campus. He’s already had the experience of making a big academic transition at a young age. Skipping first grade meant he entered Archbishop Murphy at age 12.
“That transition was pretty hard,” he said. “I came close to failing biology, which was kind of a shock. I’m hoping nothing like that happens again.”
Tim Blair, his high school counselor, said that Nick took an honors algebra and trigonometry class his freshman year, something accomplished by perhaps eight of the high school’s students each year.
By his senior year, he was taking advanced statistics and computer science courses.
In a questionnaire asking for a description of one of his most memorable school projects, he listed using Isaac Newton’s law of cooling to solve a murder mystery problem.
Nick finished high school with a 3.86 GPA.
“A lot of people would say that’s not that big a deal, but look at the type of courses he’s taken,” Blair said.
Nick certainly isn’t the only Archbishop Murphy student to get a perfect score on his SAT. In fact, one female student scored 800s in both writing and reading.
“What does make it unique is Nick’s age,” Blair said.
Nick participated in the school’s mock trial team, and was a member of the chess club and the yearbook staff.
His volunteer work included a five-day trip to Mexico to build a house for the needy, part of a mission trip with Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Everett.
“He’s a very good kid, the kind of kid who doesn’t want the limelight shown on him,” Blair said.
“He’s the type of kid you might have the tendency to forget about. He’s not the kind to pop his own suspenders. It’s a neat thing.”
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
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