A Record Three Lemont High School Students Named National Merit Finalists

Lemont High School can claim three National Merit Scholarship Finalists in one year for the first time in school history, as seniors Spenser Bailey, Taylor Campos and Misbah Chagpar all recently were cited with the honor by the National Merit Scholarship Program. These three were eligible for finalist status thanks to their performance on either the 2014 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Lemont previously had two National Merit Scholarship Finalists in the same year in 2009 and 2011.

Bailey, Campos and Chagpar all are under consideration to earn some of the $32 million of National Merit Scholarships that will be offered this spring. Approximately 15,000 students across the country are named as National Merit Scholarship Finalists, and nearly half of those students will receive a scholarship.

To achieve finalist status, 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.

Given to high school juniors, more than 1.5 million students took the PSAT/NMSQT in October 2014. Approximately 16,000 students are named as National Merit Scholar Semifinalists, and roughly 34,000 students are designated as Commended Students. When Bailey, Campos and Chagpar were recognized as semifinalists in the fall, fellow Class of 2016 students Jacob Gasienica and Clare Rachwalski were tabbed with National Merit Commended Students distinction.

The scores compiled by Lemont High School’s five honorees ranked them among the top five percent of all U.S. students from the Class of 2016 who took the PSAT/NMSQT or the SAT last year.

Bailey, Campos and Chagpar increase Lemont’s number of finalists to nine in the last eight years. Previous National Merit Scholarship Finalists during that timeframe have included Jessica DeArcangelis ‘09, Michael Fischer ‘09, Therese Castrogiovanni ‘11, Rita Kuseliauskas ‘11, Kim Gannon ‘13 and Alexandra Albrecht ‘14. Diana Vera ‘15 also earned semifinalist accolades in 2014.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955. Its scholarships are underwritten by its own funds and approximately 500 business organizations and higher education institutions that share its goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.