National Merit Semifinalists: Is Your Student On The List?

Some 53 Rhode Islanders are among 16,000 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. The scholarship organization on Wednesday announced the names of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 63rd annual National Merit Scholarship Program. They represent fewer than one percent of U.S. high school seniors.

Here are the Rhode Island semifinalists listed by Town.

Barrington

Ryan P. Brady, Jane O. Freiman, and Allyson R. Grant, Eliot J. Laidlaw, Michael C. Lamontagne, and Clara McBride, all from Barrington High;

Coventry

Audrey R. Buffi, of Coventry High;

East Greenwich

Cole M. Campbell, Jason D. DiMase, Alicia C. Gibbons, Laura C. Murphy, Grace R. Scott, and Matthew D. Sommer, all from East Greenwich High;

Esmond

Renee E. Roy, of Esmond, from Smithfield High;

Johnston

Benjamin E. Budway, from Johnston High;

Lincoln

Daniel Hasegawa, of Lincoln, from Lincoln High;

Middletown

Theodore Thibeault, of Middletown High; and Mary K. Winters, of St. George's School;

Narragansett

Ryan E. Maciel and Jacob E. Polatty, of Narragansett (home schooled);

Newport

Martin P. Owen, of Newport, Rogers High;

North Kingstown

Sophie L. Girard, Joshua J. Neronha, and Jordan S. Silversmith, of North Kingstown High;

North Smithfield

Elizabeth C. Votta, of North Smthfield High;

Portsmouth

Kyle N. Andrade, Kenneth F. Armijo, and Ezra Leary, all from Portsmouth High;

Providence

Lucy S. Atkinson, Isaac B. Blinn, and Peter S. Zubiago, of Providence, all from Moses Brown;

Judah L. Altman, Gwendolyn A. Dane, and Catherine Vandermillen, of Providence, all from Classical;

Grace T. Connolly, Timothy J. Nigro, Madalyn J. Redding and James L. Truslow, all from La Salle;

Portia T. Gaitskell and Lily Martin, both of Lincoln School;

Benjamin R. Foss, Taissa K. Hayda, Benjamin J. Homer, Niklas M. Kniesche, Harrison B. Martin, and Justin J. Paik, all from Wheeler;

Riverside

Rebekah H. Pendrak, of Riverside, from St. Mary Academy-Bay View;

Wakefield

Ian J. Pierce and Joellyn S. Speredelozzi, of Wakefield, both from South Kingstown High;

Warwick

Dylan Temel, of Warwick, from Bishop Hendricken;

Westerly

Noam Makover-Aberdam, of Westerly, from Westerly High;

Woonsocket

Rachel A. Breitenbach, and Matthew J. Melnychuk, both of Woonsocket, from Mount St. Charles Academy.