Two Huntington Seniors Reach National Achievement Semi-finals
Huntington High School seniors Alexander Chisolm and Samuel Sainthil have reached the semi-finals of the National Achievement program sponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corp.
A total of 150,000 students participated in the program. The Huntington duo is among 1,600 teenagers nationwide to be designated as semi-finalists in the competition. In January 2010, 1,300 students will be named finalists. Then in late February, the top 800 finalists will be awarded generous National Achievement Program scholarships.
Mr. Chisolm and Mr. Sainthil are among the top students in Huntington’s Class of 2010. They are pleasant personalities around the school, well-liked by teachers and classmates and hard-working. The pair is well-spoken and seems destined for academic and career success.
“Sam is one of the most determined young men I have had the pleasure of knowing,” said Principal Carmela Leonardi about Mr. Sainthil. “In his years at Huntington High School, he has sought the most challenging courses and been involved in the most thought provoking and civic minded groups such as The Dispatch, Habitat for Humanity and H.O.P.E. (Huntington Outreach Peer Educators). He is articulate, caring and quite charming. Nothing is going to get in his way of success because he will always confront challenges with hard work and determination.”
Mr. Chisolm is equally impressive. “Alex is a studious, very mature young man who is very much devoted to stretching the limits of his extensive intellectual abilities,” Dr. Leonardi said. “He is as committed to his learning as he is to helping his school and his community. He is a leader because he shows caring and understanding for others. Alex has competed in the field of science and been instrumental in the creation of our own chapter of the National Science Honor Society. Like Sam he has taken an active role in the school newspaper and Habitat for Humanity. His passion for science and math will play a large role in his bright future as will his scholarship and academic talent.”
A total of 700 scholarships worth $2,500 each will be awarded directly by the National Merit Corp. and another 100 corporate scholarships will be presented as part of the annual National Achievement program.
According to the National Merit website, “The National Achievement Scholarship Program is an academic competition established in 1964 to provide recognition for outstanding Black American high school students. Black students may enter both the National Achievement Program and the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test and meeting other published requirements for participation. The two annual programs are conducted concurrently but operated and funded separately. A student's standing is determined independently in each program. Black American students can qualify for recognition and be honored as Scholars in both the National Merit Program and the National Achievement Program, but can receive only one monetary award from NMSC.”
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