John Bapst senior Margaret Bryan has been named a finalist in the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program. The daughter of Beth and Andrew Bryan of Holden, she has been awarded a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship.
The National Merit Scholarship Program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, which represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest achievers on the 2009 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) in each state.
Four other John Bapst seniors have been named Commended Students in the Program. They placed among the top 5 percent of the more than 1.5 million students who took the 2009 PSAT/NMSQT and are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. The Commended Students are Andrew Babbitt, the son of Gail and Joseph Babbitt of Hampden; Thomas Easton, the son of Patricia and Christopher Easton of Dixmont; Jennifer Hannigan, the daughter of Paul and Jane Hannigan of Holden; and Adriana Pellegrini, the daughter of Joanmarie and Anthony Pellegrini of Holden.
“National Merit recognition has proven to be a great way to motivate talented young people to make the most of that talent,” commented John Bapst Head of School Mel MacKay. “The leaders of the future will have to be well-educated to work effectively on the challenges they will face.”