Wayland Students Named National Merit Scholar

WAYLAND, MA—Two Wayland high school students have been named 2017 National Merit Scholars, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced last week.

Wayland resident Laura S. Kaye, selected from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists, will receive a $2,500 scholarship from the organization. Kaye, who attends Middlesex High School in Concord, plans to pursue a career in education. Sarah W. Raines, who attends Wayland High School, will also receive a $2,500 scholarship and plans a career in computer science.

National Merit Scholarship winners are the students in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, according to an overview of the program. The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.

Winners were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors based on academic record, the difficulty level of the subjects studied, grades earned, scores from two standardized tests, contributions and leadership in school, community activities, an essay and a recommendation written by a high school official.

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