No student in any of his classes had ever done it, and Anthony Simonelli was starting to think no one ever would. Then he graded the last chemistry Regents exam of the pile. The paper belonged to Jojo Yawson, a sophomore at Baldwin High School on Long Island, New York — and it was flawless. Yawson had earned a perfect 100 on every section of the June 2026 test, one of the most demanding Regents exams in the state. Simonelli says his jaw "nearly hit the floor" when he found out he won.
Photo via CBS News
The 25-Year Challenge
The remarkable score ended a challenge Simonelli had offered for a quarter of a century. His promise to every class was simple: score a perfect 100 on the final Chemistry Regents exam, and he would hand-deliver $100 to your front door. Year after year, nobody ever pulled it off. For 25 years the reward went unclaimed — until the very last paper Simonelli graded.
The Perfect Score
Ironically, Yawson had walked out of the exam convinced he had failed. He went home dejected, certain he had answered several questions wrong. Instead, he hadn't missed a single one. The $100 prize had been on his mind going into the test, and he kept himself focused on answering every question carefully rather than rushing.
His mother, Ama Karikari, spoke proudly of her son and said she hopes his success encourages students with learning differences — and their families — to believe that a learning difference can still mean learning brilliantly. And the chemistry test wasn't even Yawson's first perfect Regents result: he scored 100 on the Biology Regents as a freshman.
What the Student Plans to Do With the $100
Simonelli kept his end of the deal in person, showing up at Yawson's front door with a signed $100 bill and a thank-you note. Yawson has considered framing the bill as a keepsake, but he may spend it instead. The moment carries extra weight because it may never be repeated: New York is redesigning its science exams, and Regents testing is being phased out of high school diploma requirements by 2028. That could make Yawson the last student Simonelli ever teaches with a chance at a perfect 100 on the Chemistry Regents — and fittingly, the last exam graded was the one that finally did it.
