October 11, 2007, Yarmouth, Maine: Peter Mertz, North Yarmouth Academy (NYA) headmaster, announced today that Caroline Kessler (North Yarmouth) and Cole Paiement (Woolwich) have been named Commended Students in the 2008 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter of Commendation from NYA and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program, were presented to these scholastically talented seniors at an all-school assembly this week.
Over 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2008 competition for National Merit Scholarships, Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.4 million students who entered the 2008 competition by taking the 2006 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
The National Merit Scholarship Program has named approximately 16,000 semifinalists based on PSAT/NMSQT performance who will compete for 8,200 scholarship awards in the spring. Three NYA seniors have been named semifinalists: Alex Briggs (Pownal), Zoe Filliter (North Yarmouth) and Amy Miller (Portland). They will continue on in the National Merit Scholarship competition. "Our nation's pursuit of educational excellence can be furthered by publicly honoring these outstanding students and by acknowledging the important role schools play in fostering their development. We hope that this recognition will contribute to their educational opportunities and encourage all students to strive to realize their potential," commented a spokesperson for NMSC.
Pete Mertz (Cumberland), also a senior at NYA, has been recognized by the National Hispanic Recognition Program. The National Hispanic Recognition Program, established in 1983, is a College Board program that provides national recognition of the exceptional academic achievements of Hispanic high school seniors and identifies them for postsecondary institutions. This year, more than 196,000 PSAT/NMSQT takers nationwide identified themselves as Hispanic, and only 4,000 of those students have been recognized as National Hispanic Scholars or Honorable Mention Finalists based on their PSAT/NMSQT and their academic achievements. Mertz is being recognized as a scholar based on his high performance on the PSAT as well as achieving a GPA that exceeds 3.5. The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association founded in 1900 whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity.
North Yarmouth Academy is an independent, college preparatory, coeducational day school serving students in grades 6 through 12. NYA is dedicated to fostering integrity, character and intellect in young adults. For more information, please contact NYA at 207-846-2380 ext. 9327 or visit our website at www.nya.org.