Alex Tomjack named a National Merit Scholarship FINALIST!
Wahoo's third consecutive senior named among nation's academic elite; announces plan to enroll @ the University of North Texas
Launch the media gallery 1 playerCONGRATULATIONS Alex Tomjack: named a National Merit Scholarship FINALIST! The National Merit Scholarship Corporation made the announcement on Monday, Feb. 10. Tomjack is Wahoo's second consecutive NMS Finalist (third consecutive semifinalist), and has announced that he will attend the University of North Texas next year.
“I continue to be amazed by the talent of the students at Wahoo High School. Alex is no exception," commented WHS Guidance Counselor John Haris. "In addition to being a National Merit Scholarship finalist, Alex continues to challenge himself. He is a tutor, has taken up welding and is an emerging high school golfer. The sky is the limit for Alex and I look forward to watching him continue to discover his talents at the University of North Texas!”
Congratulations again, Alex, on this well-deserved honor!
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Congratulations WHS senior Alex Tomjack on being named a 2019-2020 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist!
Alex Tomjack named a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist! (posted October 22, 2019)
WHS senior listed among nation's academic elite; advances to finalist competition
THREE IN A ROW!
Officials of National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the names of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 65th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million that will be offered next spring.
Wahoo High School senior Alex Tomjack has been named a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist! The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.
This is the third straight year a WHS senior has been named a National Merit Semifinalist. Caleb Groff (Class of 2018) and Anna Dobesh (Class of 2019) were also named semifinalists. Dobesh was also declared a finalist last year!
"Wahoo High School has been tremendously fortunate to have three students, in the past three years, named as National Merit semifinalists," commented WHS Counselor John Harris. "Alex is a very focused student who takes great pride in his academic success. To see him recognized for his efforts on a national level is an exciting and deserved honor."
NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 400 business organizations and higher education institutions that share NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.
Over 1.5 million juniors in about 21,000 high schools entered the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2018 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record through-out high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.
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. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.
Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2020. Every Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis. About 1,000 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 220 corporations and business organizations for Finalists who meet their specified criteria, such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located. In addition, about 180 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 4,100 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.
National Merit Scholarship winners of 2020 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 345,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.
Congratulations Alex on this impressive achievement, and good luck in the finalist competition!
