‘Brothers’ a dynamic ACT duo

Multiple national studies have indicated that learning music can have a positive impact on academic work.

Cedar Grove-Belgium High School has a pair of exemplary examples who show that research rings true.

Noah Hagemann, a foreign exchange student from Germany, scored a perfect 36 on the ACT, a multiple-choice college entrance exam covering English, math, reading, science and writing that takes nearly three hours to finish.

He even figured out all the answers to questions from lessons he hasn’t learned yet.

“I was confident in most of my answers however, especially on the math section, I made educated guesses on a few questions because I was running low on time and because I haven’t taken a math class yet that covered some of the concepts,” Noah said.

His American brother, Levi Ruona, scored a near-perfect 35 and had fun meeting the exam’s challenge.

“I would say that the hardest section for me was the writing section and also possibly the English section; I did however enjoy the entire test,” he said.

Levi’s mother is Linda Ruona, the high school choir director who is doubling as Noah’s American mother for the year.

Despite growing up thousands of miles away, the star students are similar in their dedication to school and love of music.

“The boys are both very diligent students, using the time they are given in class to complete assignments, often going above and beyond requirements,” Ruona said.

Their high school resumes read like the academic standouts that they are.

Both play in the school band and jazz band, sing in the choir, play in the Sheboygan Youth Symphony Orchestra — Levi the French horn and Noah percussion — and sing in the Lakeshore Youth Chorale.

Both have studied piano for 11 years.

The Ruona family sings in the church choir, and Noah plays in the handbell choir. Levi and Noah have qualified multiple pieces for state solo/ensemble, be it solos, duets or large group selections for band and choir. Levi was chosen for the Wisconsin School Musical Association State Honors Project for the fourth year in a row.

Noah volunteers with the middle school jazz band and the middle school chess club. He does coding in his spare time and is developing an app. He wants to study computer science in college.

Levi is captain of the school’s esports team and secretary and data analyst for an at-large esports team. He wants to study music education at a Wisconsin college yet to be determined.

Both take advantage of study time during the school day. Noah said students were given extensive prep for the test, “which helped me a lot.”

Their accomplishments are rare. About 3,041 students, or 0.22%, achieve perfect scores on the ACT, according to PrepScholar, a test prep and college admissions guidance company founded by Harvard grads. Those who score 35 total 9,258, or 0.67%.

“I give a lot of credit to the teachers of Cedar Grove-Belgium High School who spend a lot of time analyzing data from P-ACT results, identifying common concepts and specific question types where students need improvement and then crafting specific lesson plans,” Ruona said. “This helps all of our students prepare for the ACT and achieve at higher levels.”

Though Levi said he and Noah push each other a little bit in school, both said there is no academic rivalry.

The rest of the student body can take at least half a breath of relaxation. While Levi’s success counts toward school, Noah’s doesn’t because he’s an exchange student.

“We just both try to be as good as we can,” Noah said. “Besides, my grades here don’t count for me, and I can’t affect the class ranking.”

Noah is the Ruonas’ fifth foreign exchange student through the Council on International Educational Exchange.

“Each one has been a unique and rewarding experience,” Ruona said.

For more information, visit www.ciee.org.