BAHS Home to Six National Merit Finalists
SMART CATS: Six Broken Arrow High School Students have advanced to become National Merit Scholar finalists. They are, from left, Andrew Arvay, Megan Baxter, Derek Brown, Raychal Lurvey, Emily Saffell and Katherine Wenzel.
All six Broken Arrow High School seniors previously named National Merit Semi-finalists have advanced to National Merit Finalists in the 54th Annual National Merit Scholarship program. They are Andrew Arvay, Megan Baxter, Derek Brown, Raychal Lurvey, Emily Saffell, and Katherine Wenzel.
To become a National Merit Finalist, a Semi-finalist must have an academic record of very high performance, be endorsed and recommended by the school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier qualifying test performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test or PSAT taken as a high school junior with a score in the top two percent in the nation.
In addition, the Semi-finalist and a school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes the student’s self-descriptive essay and information about the Semi-Finalist’s participation in leadership in school and community activities.
Approximately 15,000 Semi-Finalists advance to the Finalist level and it is from this group that all Merit Scholarship winners will be chosen. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
Every Finalist including the six from BAHS will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state representational basis. About 1,100 corporate-sponsored scholarships will be provided by nearly 300 corporations and business organizations for Finalists, who meet their specified criteria such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located. In addition, approximately 200 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 4,600 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.
“These students’ teachers and administrators at the senior high and throughout the School District are so proud of this exceptional accomplishment for these students, who are all very deserving of this stellar academic achievement,” BAHS Principal Rob Armstrong said.
Mr. Armstrong also pointed out that all six BAHS National Merit Finalists have attended Broken Arrow Public Schools since elementary school.
Updated 03-25-2009
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