TWENTY-ONE NATIONAL MERIT FINALISTS FOR NORTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL
Northwest High School has a proud tradition of academic achievement, evident in the high number of students who have won recognition as National Merit Finalists.
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 1.5 million entrants each year. The test, which includes critical reading, math and writing, is typically taken by students during the fall of their junior year. In early September, about 16,000 students, or approximately one-third of the 50,000 high scorers, are notified that they have qualified as semifinalists. In other words, only the top one percent of students nationally receive this recognition. In athletic terms, it is equivalent to becoming a Division I college football player. The highest scoring entrants in each state, semifinalists then are eligible to compete to become finalists by meeting high standards of academic performance as outlined by College Board.
Northwest High School National Merit Finalists by Year of Graduation
1990
Dan Beitzel
Glenn Dettman
Robert Klingensmith
Dawn Miller
Brian Wennerstrom
1991
Shane Rolland
1992
Janice Crilly
Carol Hechmer
Shawn Jefferson
1993
Sara Leugers
Melissa Skarl
1994
Jessica Lowe
1996
Katti Leugers
1997
Karen Pryor
Sabrina Springer
2000
Ryan White
2003
Kalie Sheehan
2004
Kenneth Sims
Ryan Bowling
2005
Jacquelyn Dolezal
2009
Daniel Evrard
2010
Sam Baiera