Solon High Has 30 National Merit Semi-Finalists, The Most Ever

Solon High School is celebrating the achievement of 30 seniors who have been named Semi-Finalists in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program competition. This is the highest number of recognized students at any Ohio high school, regardless of public or private school status, and among the top 50 in the United States.

"Clearly we are very impressed with the achievements of Solon’s Class of 2013," said Solon High School Principal Erin Short. "I met with all 30 of the students identified as National Merit Semi-Finalists this week and shared with them how very proud I am to call them Comets and how very blessed we are to work with such bright, hard-working young adults."

The 30 Solon National Merit Semi-Finalists are Rohan Achar, Tanya Akl, Rowan Ashton, Grant Behnke, Bethany Davis, Elizabeth Eder, Rebecca Freeman, Ryan Friedman, Reid Fu, Melody Goodin, Russ Kinstlinger, Hyunsuk Lee, Michael Luo, Victoria Ma, Joel Mabey, Nisha Malhotra, Chanukya Malla, Allison Miller, Aditya Nair, Andi Peng, Kimberly Peng, Jonathan Picker, Shashank Raghavachari, John Riordan, Ojas Sathe, Stephen Tang, Thomas Yi, Stephanie Zhu, Tianqi Zhu and Zackary Zimmers.

"To have the most semi-finalists in the state of Ohio and to be ranked as one of the top 50 high schools in the United States regardless of public, private or parochial school status speaks volumes about the quality of Solon’s Class of 2013," Short said. "I believe the achievements of this class both in the classroom and through their participation in our extra-curricular activities is a direct reflection of the commitment of our teachers, our parents, our students, and the greater Solon community to provide a first class education for all kids."

Each of these students earned a score on the PSAT that was high enough to rank them as a National Merit Scholar semi-finalist. To qualify as a semi-finalist, a student’s score must be among the highest in the state and the total number of semi-finalists represents less than one percent of all high school students in the nation.

The number of semi-finalists varies from state to state, since the number selected is proportional to the percentage of the total number of graduating seniors in each state.

The 30 semi-finalist students will continue in the competition to become National Merit Scholar finalists by fulfilling several additional requirements in the coming months.

First, they must attain an SAT score that confirms their achievement on the PSAT qualifying test. They must also demonstrate a record of outstanding academic performance throughout high school and be endorsed and recommended by their high school principal.

In addition, the students and school officials must complete a detailed scholarship application that includes a student essay and information about their participation and leadership in school and community-based activities.