On Sept. 29th, 2024, the John Champe High School administration released a list of 13 seniors recognized as National Merit Commended students in the weekly newsletter.
“These National Merit Scholarship Program Commended students are being recognized for the exceptional academic promise demonstrated by their outstanding performance on the qualifying test used for program entry,” the Knightly Newsletter said. “Congratulations to our National Merit Commended Students!”
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a yearly academic scholarship competition where students from high schools nationwide can participate to attain recognition and money that can be used towards higher education. To enter into this competition, a student must take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which is usually administered every year at Champe during the fall. Of the 1.3 million applicants who took the test last year, only about 34,000 were recognized as commended students.
“I took the PSAT in the midst of a really busy week, so I wasn’t expecting to do well, but I was really happy with the results.” National Merit Commended Student Kayly Nguyen said.
These students, such as the 13 at Champe, got very high scores on these tests, resulting in a high selection index score. The selection index score is calculated by doubling the reading score on a student’s PSAT/NMSQT, adding the math score, and dividing that whole value by 10. The resultant value is the student’s selection index score, and a cutoff that varies by state is in place for a student to qualify for National Merit Program recognition (such as being recognized as a commended student). Even though these students will not continue further in the competition, this recognition shows their academic commitment and hard work.
“In part, I think it’s a reflection of the hard work I’ve put in over the years, and being commended for National Merit is a nice send-off for my senior year!” Nguyen added.
