Not many high school seniors say they want to win a Nobel Prize.

Not many have created an apparatus now being used at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center or have co-authored a piece in a scientific journal.

But Technology Access Foundation (TAF) Academy senior Erika Pegues has.

“I always knew I wanted to do something that would impact the world, not just where I lived,” Pegues said at the 2015 State of Education address before the Greater Federal Way Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday.

Pegues joined the academy in sixth grade and has been on an upward trajectory since.

“In seventh grade, my teacher told me a quote that I will never forget: ‘Be the change you want to see in the world,’ by Gandhi,” she said. “This is one quote that stuck with me through everything.”

Pegues visited Costa Rica two years ago and was exposed to poverty, met orphans, became aware of the various diseases and learned how to become a good global citizen.

She’s now an intern at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and is working with her school on a project recruiting people to donate bone marrow.

“The Federal Way Public Schools district has always been there to encourage me and push me to make a global impact and it’s definitely starting to shine through,” she said. “I’m making a difference myself, whether it’s small right now, it can become something bigger.”

A packed room at Twin Lakes Golf and Country Club listened to Pegues and two other students who shared their success stories.

“These voices are a true reflection of the school district’s work,” said Sally McLean, interim superintendent.

She said teachers today challenge students to dig deeper, analyze and debate questions so that students can think more critically.

“This is to prepare our students to engage in a complex, globally connected world,” she said. “For this, our students need to be good thinkers, not just good test takers.”

But she does acknowledge in the beginning of March, students in all 295 Washington school districts and in 21 other states will take the new Smarter Balance Assessment.

Although it’s new and different, McLean pointed out that it’s not the first time Washington students have had to take a new test, noting the Washington State Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP), coupled with various standards: Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALR), Grade Level Expectations (GLE) and the current Common Core standards.

“Please be aware that each time the test changes, we see a temporary drop in scores,” she told the crowd. “I urge you to keep this in mind: A state assessment is but a single measurement at a single point in time and the same test is given to all students in that grade level. Using that single assessment to gauge the quality of our schools is like going to the doctor and assuming that elevated temperature means you’re at death’s door.”

Test results for each grade level in the Federal Way school district can be found at the Office of Superintendent of Public Education website under the Washington State Report Card.

This school year, school board members adopted a set of goals, referred to as “Ends,” which will be measured and reported on at the end of the year. Some of those “Ends” include the “goal of each student graduating with the skills and academic knowledge to succeed as a responsible, contributing member of a global society” and that “each student will benefit from the relationship each school will establish with each parent, guardian and advocate.”

McLean said the graduation rate is increasing and this year the district is slightly above their annual target goal of 76.2 percent of students graduating on time and 80 percent graduating within five years. The goal of the Community Center for Education Results, or The Road Map Project, is for 78.4 percent of students to graduate by the end of the 2014-2015 school year. Long-term, the school district hopes to reach a 92 percent graduation rate by 2020.

McLean said the district will also be launching a drop-out reengagement center second semester.

With more access to date, McLean said it’s opened the door for more conversations.

“Last year, 30 percent of our students, across all grade levels, missed 15 or more full days of school,” she said. “As you can see by some of the materials on your table, in partnership with the Franciscan Health Care, a campaign has started to remind our parents and students that “Every Day Counts.”

Still, students like Pegues are able to succeed through hard work and help from the teachers.

Over 200 teachers in the district are Nationally Board Certified and the district ranks 18th nationwide for the number of teachers obtaining that certification.

“I truly believe our success is shared with you,” McLean said,” and is a reflection of our community’s commitment to our children.”

Interim Superintendent Sally McLean speaks about the Federal Way school district at a Greater Federal Way Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Wednesday. Raechel Dawson, the Mirror