Four YCHS students excel in academics
Three Yuba City High School seniors were “commended” at the National Merit Scholars Program this month and given awards Thursday at a special ceremony at the school.
Assistant Principal Bill Highland said he and Principal Mario Johnson presented the students with certificates in honor of their accomplishments.
The students also will be recognized May 30 at the Senior Awards Ceremony, when all scholarships are announced.
“They are definitely great kids,” Highland said Friday.
The students are Tyler Brand, Michelle Hunter and Dante Wadley.
The National Achievement Scholarship Program, another branch of the merit program, also recognized Wadley as one of the top 800 black students in the country.
Senior Jacqueline Dailey was a finalist.
The awards are based on preliminary scores from the Scholastic Aptitude Test, taken in the 11th grade, Highland said.
The National Merit Scholarship Program began in 1955 and is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships.
High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, to initially screen about 1.3 million entrants each year.
About 50,000 of those students with the highest PSAT/NMSQT scores qualify for recognition in the program.
In April, high-scoring participants from every state are invited to name two colleges or universities to which they would like to be referred by the program. In September, students are notified through their schools that they have been named either a commended student or semi-finalist.
In February, 15,000 semi-finalists are notified by mail that they have advanced to finalist standing, such as Dailey. High school principals are notified and provided with a certificate to present to each finalist.
Winners of Merit Scholarship awards are chosen from the finalist group, based on their skills, abilities and accomplishments.
From March to mid-June, NMSC notifies approximately 8,200 finalists that they will receive a Merit Scholarship award.
