At their regular school board meeting on Monday, January 5, the City of Fairfax School Board recognized Fairfax High School seniors who earned national recognition through the National Merit Scholarship Program. Students were honored as National Merit Semifinalists or National Merit Commended Scholars based on their outstanding performance on the PSAT/NMSQT.
“Earning National Merit recognition is a standout achievement,” said Assistant Superintendent Dan Phillips. “These students have distinguished themselves among top scorers nationwide, and we’re excited to celebrate them as they move toward graduation and their next steps.”
National Merit Semifinalists
National Merit Semifinalists represent less than 1% of high school graduating seniors nationwide. Each year, more than 16,000 students qualify as Semifinalists and have an opportunity to continue in the competition for Merit Scholarship® awards.
The following Fairfax High School students were recognized as National Merit Semifinalists:
- Rohan Desai
- Elias Falke
- Henry Mann
- Michael Stechl
- Nathan Yoon
National Merit Commended Scholars
Each year, approximately 34,000 students are named Commended Students nationwide based on a nationally applied qualifying score. Commended Students do not continue in the National Merit Scholarship competition, but some may be considered for special scholarship opportunities offered by corporate sponsors.
The following Fairfax High School students were recognized as Commended Scholars:
- Peter Choi
- Arhan Desai
- Kevin Huynh
- Priscilla Jang
- Laura Johnson
- Aniket Nair-Das
- Sean Nguyen
- Samuel Park
- Fiona Rice
- Noelle Sackie
- Nicholas Schwille
- Siddharth Shankar
- Sheryl Zhang
- Ashley Shin
The School Board congratulates these students and their families, and thanks Fairfax High School staff for supporting students in reaching this level of achievement.