Students honored Nov. 17 at reception at Central High School
By John Tredrea, Staff Writer
Seventeen Hopewell Valley Central High School seniors, including four who finished in the top 1 percent nationwide, have been recognized for outstanding academic success by the prestigious National Merit Scholarship Corporation, school distinct official JoAnn Meyer said.
Selected for their outstanding finishes in the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test were Hopewell Valley seniors David Hill, Rachel O. Porcher, Samik S. Shah and Edward Z. Wang. The distinction puts them in the top 1 percent of seniors nationwide. The top 1 percent of high school seniors in the States translates to 16,000 students.
As National Merit semifinalists, the four seniors are among the highest-scoring students in New Jersey on the Preliminary SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) and are automatically eligible to advance in the competitive scholarship program, Ms. Meyer said. In February, finalists will be announced. About half of them will collect $2,500 scholarships.
Also finishing high, though below the level of Semifinalist, were CHS Commended Scholars Christina M. Boyce-Jacino, Tyler A. Brennan, Sara A. Cifelli, Laura A. Feibush, Ross D. Holley, Gabriel M. Lewin, Laura M. McGill, Robinson G. Meyer, Gemma C. Milly, Alexandra J. Murr, Rachel S. Norris, Eric D. Tengi and Sijia Zhao.
Commended Scholar status is considered particularly impressive in New Jersey, where it is comparatively more difficult to advance in the National Merit program than in the majority of other states, Ms. Meyer said. Qualifying scores vary from state to state, based on average test scores and the number of test takers. New Jersey has the second highest qualifying score in the country, because of its high number of test takers and high average score. Many New Jersey students who fail to reach the cutoff for Semifinalist status here would qualify easily in many other states.
The students were honored by the school board at its Nov. 17 meeting. The meeting, held at Central High School, was preceded by a reception for students and their families.

