Local student honored by university's youth center Ryan DesRochers, who recently completed fourth grade at St. Paul's Christian School in Brick, was recently recognized at a statewide awards ceremony for gifted children that was sponsored by The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY), based in Baltimore. The event was held June 10 at Rider University, Lawrenceville section of Lawrence. CTY, which parallels and complements a gifted child's regular school experience, is a nonprofit center that conducts an extensive academic talent search and offers educational programming for students with exceptionally high academic ability. It draws students from 19 states - as well as Washington, D.C. - and more than 80 countries. Ryan, son of Lisa and Larry DesRochers of Brick, was invited to the awards ceremony based on his exceptional performance on a rigorous, above-grade-level test that was given to talent-search participants in second through eighth grade. Seventh- and eighth-graders took the SAT or ACT, the same tests used for college admissions, while second- through sixth-graders took the SCAT, an above-level test scaled for younger students. Ryan's test scores, which were in the top 25th percentile, have qualified him for CTY's summer programs and distance education courses. CTY's talent search is open from September through November, with students testing in December or January.