Five students at Red Bank Regional High School have been recognized for their academic accomplishments.
According to Red Bank High administrators, Harry Jain of Red Bank was named a National Merit Semi-finalist by the National Merit Scholarship Program, while Willow Martin of Little Silver, Victoria Lloyd of Little Silver, Samuel Zatorski of Red Bank,and Stephen Zacks of Red Bank were also named as commended scholars.
Scholars are chosen from the top performing students among 1.5 million students who took the fall Preliminary SAT in their junior year, according to district administrators.
Semi-finalists are the highest-scoring program entrants in each state and represent the top 0.5 percent of the state’s senior students and commended scholars represent the top 2.5 percent of the 1.5 million students who took the exam. Semi-finalists submit applications to be chosen as finalists who earn scholarship money for college.
Harry, according to district administrators, is a student in the Academy of Engineering. During his three years at the high school, he has been on the honor roll, earned the highest scores on his AP tests, is president of the Math League, vice-president of the computer science club and he is a member of the French and Math National Honor Societies.
As part of the Future Business Leaders of America, he has competed in regional, state and national competitions, along with Cyber Security competitions and the science league’s physics competition.
Willow is a creative writing major at the Visual and Performing Arts Academy (VPA). According to district administrators, she has earned regional and national accolades from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and her play “The Late Shift” was selected to be performed by the New Jersey Repertory Theatre.
In addition to being on the honor roll during each of her years at the high school, she is the president of the Italian National Honor Society and a member of the National Math Honor Society.
“I’m very happy to have received the news,” Willow said. “I’m fortunate enough to be surrounded by high achieving peers [e.g. my fellow commended scholars, among others] who motivate me to strive for excellency. My school’s faculty and student body continue to support and stimulate me, thus encouraging my various academic pursuits. I credit the school environment with much of my success, including my ability to score well in standardized tests.”
Victoria concentrates her studies in math and science, competes in the math league, is a member of the Math Honor Society and serves on the computer science club. As a member of the Cyber Patriot Club, she has competed in regional and state competitions and is a founding member of the Girls Who Code Club. She is also a member of the Star Astronomical Society, according to district administrators.
Samuel is a creative writing major at the VPA and has earned writing accolades from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. According to district administrators, he also helped establish and is a member of the Table Top Club.
“It’s absolutely an honor and a welcome surprise to be named a commended scholar, especially in a highly competitive environment like Red Bank Regional,” Samuel said.
Stephen is in the Academy of Engineering and, according to district administrators, is co-president of the Computer Club and a member of the French National Honor Society. Additionally, he is a founding member of the men’s a cappella group and plays for Red Bank High’s tennis team.
“I was very excited when I heard the news,” Stephen said. “I was definitely surprised and very honored.”