By Cynthia Whitty

Kelley St. Coeur, principal of Ashland High School, announced recently that the following students have been named Commended Students in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program: Nicholas Bialzik, Maanasa Dhavala, Sarah Ezeh, Faris Fakhouri, John Giglia, Margaret Henault, Algis Petlin, and Sneha Yadav. A Letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program, was presented by the St. Coeur to these scholastically talented students on Sept. 23.

“When this group of students—the Class of 2022—took the PSAT, it was under circumstances unlike any recent students before them had experienced,” St. Coeur said. “They tested at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, when we were still figuring out how to best manage school in a pandemic. They continued to work hard and demonstrate a resilience that will serve them well in their futures.”

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2022 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of the more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2022 competition by taking the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

“Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” a spokesperson for NMSC commented. “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”