Simsbury High's National Merit Scholars Get Ceremonial Thanks & a Breakfast

An announcement from Simsbury High School:

On Oct. 22, 2014, Simsbury High School Principal Neil Sullivan hosted a breakfast reception honoring students in the senior class being acknowledged for their academic excellence.

The young people honored have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement as recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program and the National Achievement Scholarship Program.

Thirteen seniors were honored at the reception for being named Commended Scholars: Joseph Adorno, Josephine Black, Kayla Brady, Shannon Cirilli, Sara Colglazier, Christopher Grossack, Kathleen Martensen, Ashley Meuser, Joseph Mortimer, Rory O’Brien, Anna Ricciuti, Wei-Da Sun, and Katerina Voegtle.

At the ceremony, these students received a Letter of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program. Only 34,000 students across the nation are named National Merit Commended Students and the recognition honors their exceptional academic promise demonstrated by their outstanding performance on the PSAT.

Simsbury High School is very proud to announce the names of this year’s National Merit Semifinalists: David Foley, John Pugmire, Daniel Schmetterling, and Zachary Walsh. These four seniors have earned the National Merit Semifinalist designation and will continue in the 2015 National Merit competition and potentially qualify for Finalist distinction.

In addition to the Commended and Semi-Finalist students, Principal Sullivan announced that Kadum Saint Mary has been recognized as an Outstanding Participant in the National Achievement Scholarship Program by scoring in the top 3 percent of more than 160,000 African Americans considered who took the PSAT in the fall of 2013.

Photo: From left: Back Row: S. Cirilli, K. Martensen, C.Grossack, Z. Walsh, J. Pugmire, J. Mortimer. Middle Row: K. Brady, S. Colglazier, R. O’Brien, D. Schmetterling, D. Foley. Front Row: J. Black, K. Saint Mary, A. Meuser, K. Voegtle. Missing from photo: J. Adorno, A. Ricciuti, W. Sun. (Photo courtesy of Simsbury High School)