10 National Merit students recognized this year

After taking the PSAT/NMSQT each year, around 50,000 students across the United States are chosen to become National Merit Scholars, commended students, or semifinalists. This year, the results have come in, and in a record-breaking occurrence, 10 of these talented students have been selected from the halls of Aurora High School.

These students, including 8 commended students and 2 semifinalists, were chosen out of around 1.6 million test-takers to receive recognition for their academic talents. Status as a semifinalist or commended student is an honor that should not be taken lightly, as students receiving this standing have scored within the top three percent of people taking the test.

Students earning these ranks this year include 10 seniors: Samantha Marrotta, Tyler Theiding, Jared Ruehr, Lexi Mehallis, Colin Heath, Nadia Abbass, Julia Weber, Ian Doemling, James Kristell, and myself, Gabi Risko. Two of these award winners (Colin Heath and Jared Ruehr) will have the opportunity to advance in the competition and earn scholarships.

Explaining further the honor and the opportunity that awaits Heath and Ruehr, Milcetich said: “The top 1% of people taking the PSAT are named National Merit Semifinalists. Those students compete for scholarship dollars, and the top 7500 students are named Finalists later in the year, earning money for college. It is quite an honor for students to be recognized, as the designation helps with college acceptance as well as financial assistance when attending college.”

This year’s record-breaking success will also lead to a new tradition for successful scholars at AHS. Students earning these titles due to their performance on the PSAT will, as of this year, earn the opportunity to leave school for a celebratory lunch on October 7th.

“I was trying to think of a way to recognize these students for their achievements in a way that would be fun and also show how proud we are of their accomplishments,” explained AHS Principal Dr. Paul Milcetich when asked about the inspiration for the new tradition. “The number of students this year means my tab will be extra high, but it will be worth it!”

This promise of free food can come as an incentive for students taking the test this month, on October 19th. In addition to potentially qualifying for a National Merit Scholarship (as the Preliminary SAT is also the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test), some students might be buoyed simply by the possibility of obtaining a free lunch courtesy of the school.

The test in two weeks will be offered to all Juniors, and it will also serve as an opportunity for students to gauge how well they will perform on the actual SAT as they prepare for college.

“I took the PSAT junior year because it was a convenient way to see what the SAT would be like the following year,” said Senior and Commended Student Samantha Marrotta. “Knowing the types of questions on the test helped me figure out what to study more when it came to the actual exam. Also, I felt it was important to take the PSAT because the SAT was being changed and therefore I couldn't talk to the guidance counselors or seniors about what to expect.”

Juniors this year will not have to worry about any changes to the PSAT’s structure after last year’s upheaval, though they are all still encouraged by the school district to take advantage of the opportunity to practice before taking the real test this coming year.

Here’s to wishing them luck, as well as congratulating the school’s many current and future successful students for their hard work.