The Commended and Achievement Scholars at GPS
Five more members of the GPS senior class have been honored by the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program. Including the previously announced semifinalists, a total of 10 girls have received National Merit recognition, 14 percent of the class.
Sarah Jane Green, Kathleen McDougal, and Anna Claire Pierce were congratulated in assembly on Friday as Commended Students, having placed in the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2015 competition by taking the preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. They received letters of commendation citing them for “outstanding potential for academic success.”
Two additional seniors, Nia Sanders and Cami Shands, were honored as National Achievement Semifinalists. Of the group of more than 160,000 students who enter the National Achievement Program, only 1,600 are named Semifinalists. The two GPS achievement semifinalists will have an opportunity to advance in the competition for National Achievement Scholarships.
Although Commended Students do not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships, some of these students do become candidates for Special Scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses, according to a spokesperson for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.