Student named Merit semifinalist
JACKSON TOWNSHIP — Officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation recently announced Seneca Valley Senior Daniel Spear as a semifinalist in the 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
As a semifinalist, Daniel will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million that will be offered next spring. About 95 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
From the approximately 16,000 semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the finalist level, and in February they will be notified of this designation.
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Seneca Valley seniors Nicholas Foulkrod, Chris Helmsen, Kason Kunkelmann, Nick Nedzesky, Alex Neff, Shanker Pillai, Veronica Pimenova, Xavier Reese, Aidan Uher, Liam Volk-Klos and Merrick Wimer have been named Commended Students in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program.
A Letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program, was presented by the principal to these scholastically talented seniors.
These seniors are 11 of about 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation that are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise.
Although they will not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2022 competition by taking the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
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Katelyn Harris of Grove City was recently initiated into the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Harris was initiated at the University of Findlay, Findlay, Ohio.
Harris is among approximately 25,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter.
Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership.
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Two Evans City residents achieved academic honors in Francis Worldwide School of Continuing Studies at Saint Francis University in Loretto.
Brandi Gaiser and Brianne Knirnschild completed a minimum of 15 credits between Sept. 1 of one year and Aug. 21 of the following year, with a quality point average of at least 3.5.
