(Back Row L-R) Henry Heimlich, Parker Johnson, Jason Legault, Luke Sikkema, Will Reuter

(Front Row) L-R Izzy Li, Ava Schwan, Garrett Huffstetler, Colin Swayze (Photo by Tammy Rosenfeldt)

Submitted by Tammy Rosenfeldt

Symmes Township, Ohio – In addition to Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (CHCA) students Connor Espenshade (of Mason), Will Rueter (of Liberty Township), Ava Schwan (of Loveland), and Luke Sikkema (of Loveland) who were all recently named National Merit Semifinalists, the school has now announced that Henry Heimlich (of Loveland), Garrett Huffstetler (of Mason), Parker Johnson (of West Chester), Jason Legault (of Mason), Izzy Li (of Mason), and Colin Swayze (of West Chester) have been recognized as National Merit Commended Students. A certificate from the National Merit Scholarship Cooperation will be presented to these students at CHCA’s Academic Awards Night in April 2022.

High school juniors entered the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and rewards received. A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2022 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers who entered the 2022 competition by taking the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®).

“I am thrilled to announce these students as National Merit Semifinalists and Commended,” shared Heather Wilkowski the school Principal. “Their commitment to excellence in both academics and extracurricular exemplifies the very essence of CHCA. I look forward to the incredible things they will accomplish now and in the future.”