Despite the deplorable education legacy of the Bush Administration it is good to see students are still managing to do well in our trip across the country. I wonder how Springfield compares to Shelbyville… – doh
TCHS student earns National Merit honor
TCHS student earns National Merit honor
Lisa Jacques
Staff writerTriton Central High School announced this week that senior Wyatt S. Lewis has been named a Commended Student in the 2009 National Merit Scholarship Program.
He will receive a letter of commendation from the school and the National Merit Scholarship Corp., which conducts the program.
“Wyatt is one of the top students at TCHS,” TCHS Principal Scott Kern said Thursday. “He is well rounded in that he has a passion for learning and competition, in the classroom and on the tennis court. To receive commendation as a National Merit Scholar is truly an amazing accomplishment. We are all very proud of Wyatt.”
Lewis placed among the top 5 percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2009 competition by taking the 2007 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Quali-fying Test.
Nationwide, about 34,000 Commended Students are being recognized for academic achievement, although they will not advance in the 2009 competition for National Merit Scholarships.
“Recognition of academically talented students and the key role played by schools in their development is essential to the pursuit of educational excellence in our nation,” NMSC stated in a news release. “The young people named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding academic potential by their strong performance in this highly competitive program. We hope that this recognition will enhance their educational opportunities and that they will continue to diligently pursue their professional goals.”
Three Shelby County seniors were named semifinalists in the 54th annual National Merit Scholarship Program: Taryn “Kenzie” Phelps of Southwestern Junior-Senior High School; Courtney Frazier of Apostolic Christian School; and Emily Richart of Shelbyville High School.
The three girls will continue in the competition for one of some 8,200 Merit Scholarship awards with a combined $35 million that will be offered in the spring.
The National Merit Scholarship Corp. was founded in 1955 to conduct the annual scholarship program. It is a nonprofit corporation funded without government assistance. Most scholarships are supported by about 500 independent corporate and college sponsors.
