Auburn School District No. 408
915 4th Street Northeast, Auburn, WA  98002

10/2/07

NEWS RELEASE
Auburn Mountainview High School and Auburn Riverside High School
Students Capture National Merit Honors

Five students from the class of 2008 at Auburn Mountainview High School—Jarrod Call, Kathleen Farrell, Kayla Fix, Michelle Happenny and Ryan Scott—and two students from Auburn Riverside High School—Kyle Franz and Jeremy Thomas—have been recognized as Commended Students in the 2008 National Merit Scholarship Program. All seven students placed among the top 5 percent of more than 1.4 million students who entered the competition by taking the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) and National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) in their junior year.

Of the 1.4 million entrants, some 50,000 with the highest PSAT/NMSQT Selection Index scores (critical reading + mathematics + writing skills scores) qualify for recognition in the National Merit Scholarship Program. In April following the fall test administration, high-scoring participants from every state are invited to name two colleges or universities to which they would like to be referred by NMSC. In September, these high scorers are notified through their schools that they have qualified as either a Commended Student or Semifinalist.

More than two-thirds or about 34,000 of the approximately 50,000 high scorers on the PSAT/NMSQT receive Letters of Commendation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise. Commended Students are named on the basis of a nationally applied Selection Index score that is below the level required for participants to be named Semifinalists in their respective states. Although Commended Students do not continue in the competition for Merit Scholarship awards, some of these students do become candidates for special scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses.

For more information contact Amy Spence, publications and grants supervisor, at (253) 931-4713.