LHS Recognizes National Merit Semifinalists, Commended Students

LEMONT, IL — Lemont High School seniors Maximillian Schuette and Nora Zhou earned National Merit Semifinalist honors thanks to their performances on the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, while 11 other students were cited with National Merit Commended Students distinction, according to a release from the school.

The 13 National Merit honorees is the second-highest single-year total in school history.

Given to high school juniors, more than 1.5 million students took the PSAT/NMSQT in October 2022. Approximately 16,000 students are named as National Merit Scholar Semifinalists, and roughly 34,000 students are designated as Commended Students, the school said.

Of those named as National Merit Semifinalists, approximately 95 percent attain Finalist standing, and around half of those earn a National Merit Scholarship and receive Merit Scholar accolades.

The students receiving National Merit Commended Students accolades include Jack Davey, Daniel Drobnic, Martin Dumbliauskas, Amelia Dunkin, Alexander Fako, Daria Koslosky, Kamil Morawa, Alana Nisperos, Everett Obler, Anthony Scruggs and Natalia Zagata.

The scores compiled by Lemont High School’s 13 honorees ranked them among the top five percent of all U.S. students from the Class of 2024 who took the PSAT/NMSQT last year.

As National Merit Semifinalists, Schuette and Zhou will continue in the competition for some of the nearly $28 million of National Merit Scholarships that will be offered in spring 2024, the school said.

To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship, semifinalists and their high schools 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, and honors and awards received.

Semifinalists will learn if they become National Merit Scholar Finalists in February.

Lemont’s Class of 2016 included a school record three National Merit Semifinalists, while the Class of 2018 set a school record for National Merit honorees (the total of National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists and National Merit Commended Students) with 16 students recognized as National Merit Commended Students, according to LHS.