February 2008 - Congratulations to Greenway’s Anneke Schoustra and Steven Gotcher, Sunnyslope’s Jonathan Merritt and Alyssa Whetstine, and Thunderbird’s Keegan Olds for being chosen to receive a National Merit Scholarship. All five were honored by the Governing Board earlier in the school year when each were named as a semi-finalist.

The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) - a test which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.4 million entrants each year - and by meeting published program entry/participation requirements. All winners of Merit Scholarship® awards (Merit Scholar® designees) are chosen from the Finalist group, based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference. A variety of information is available for NMSC selectors to evaluate the Finalist's academic record, information about the school's curricula and grading system, two sets of test scores, school official's written recommendation, information about the student's activities and leadership, and the Finalist's own essay.