Staples Announces National Merit Finalists

From Westport Schools: Fourteen Staples High School seniors have been named finalists in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program. As Merit Scholar finalists, Genevieve Domenico, Angela Ji, Zachary Katz, Preston Lust, Emma McKinney, Martin Menz, Andrew Moy, Isabel Powell, Anisa Prasad, Sirina Prasad, Orly Salik, Carter Teplica, Benjamin Tobben and Joshua Zhang all have a chance to earn one of 7,500 National Merit Scholarship awards, together worth more than $35 million.

Final scholarship winners, chosen from a group of more than 16,000 finalists, may be notified by
NMSC as early as March. 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.

To become a Finalist, these students met the following criteria: have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier qualifying test performance. The Semifinalist and a school official then had to submit a detailed scholarship application, which included the student’s essay and information about the Semifinalist’s participation and leadership in school and community activities.

Staples High School Principal James D'Amico lauded the National Merit Scholarship Finalists, saying "These students represent the exceptional academic preparation that the Westport Public Schools and Staples High School provide. I am also proud to say that this group of students also demonstrates that scholarship and citizenship are closely linked, and each of them is a contributor to the community outside of the classroom. I congratulate these students, their families, their teachers, and everyone who has supported their growth and development.

Image via Westport Schools