Malverne gymnast is Best in State

Hope Matthews — an eighth-grade student at Howard T. Herber Middle School who practices gymnastics outside the district — was recently crowned No. 1 in New York State and No. 55 in the country for Level 7 gymnastics.

In order to qualify for states, Hope had to score at least 32 out of 40 points across all four disciplines at the Manhattan Classic this past winter.

A gymnast since the age of 5, she practices bar, beam, floor and vault at the Farmingdale Gymnastics Academy. At Howard T. Herber Middle School, Hope is a member of the soccer and lacrosse teams.

Her mother, Lisa Bell-Matthews, is a teacher at her school.