Avon High School Has 2 National Merit Finalists

AVON, OH - Two Avon High School students have been named 2017 National Merit Finalists. Seniors Breanna Collins and Madeleine Hapanowicz received notification this week of their achievement.

About 15,000 students nationwide were named Finalists by the National Merit Scholarship Competition. The program recognizes students who perform exceptionally well on the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Students must also have a sterling academic record. For reference, 1.6 million high school juniors, across 22,000 high schools, entered the 2017 National Merit Scholarship competition when they took the 2015 PSAT/MSQT.

The two Avon students were informed of their Finalist status by Avon High School Principal Kristina Buller. Both students are lifelong residents of the city and have been in the Avon school system their entire academic career.

“We have a lot of intelligent students at Avon High School,” said Buller in an emailed statement. “It is always exciting for us when this type of recognition is given to our students. It is an honor for Avon High School.”

Finalists will have the chance to compete for approximately 7,500 scholarships, or a total of $33 million. Winners of Merit Scholarships will be chosen from the Finalist group based on accomplishments, abilities, and skills. To evaluate those three categories the National Merit Competition will look at a Finalist's academic record, information about the school's curricula and grading system, a Finalist's test scores, an official recommendation from the high school, a personal essay, and a list of a student's activities and leadership roles.

Get to know Avon High School's two finalists below.

Breanna Collins –

High school activities:

• Senior Class president, Academic Challenge president, Book Club, Junior State of America (JSA), Varsity Tennis team captain, Gay-Straight Alliance and Stocks Club.
• Takes seven Advanced Placement (AP) courses at Avon High School
• Hobbies include working at TGI Fridays, and hanging out with friends and family.
• List of possible colleges under consideration: Duke University, Dartmouth College and University of Alabama
• Potential college major(s); Neuroscience, economics

Madeleine Hapanowicz –

High school activities:

• Varsity Soccer captain, National Honor Society co-president, Senior Class secretary.
• Takes six Advanced Placement (AP) courses at Avon High School, as well as Mandarin V
• Hobbies: Horseback riding, playing the piano, hanging out with friends and family
• List of potential colleges under consideration: Harvard University, University of Chicago, University of Pittsburgh, Northeastern University
• Potential college major(s): Applied math/business, biomedical

Photo from Avon High School, From Left to Right: Collins and Hapanowicz