LHS has set a new record this year: 3 National Merit Scholar Finalists. The finalists: seniors Misbah Chagpar, Spenser Bailey, and Taylor Campos, are being considered for the award because of their abilities, skills, and accomplishments during high school.

National Merit Scholarship Corporation was first established in 1955, It became an independent, not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance.

When the corporation was established, it had goals set forth for the future.

The corporation wanted to pursue and identify students that showed intelligence in the academic portion of high school and to honor them for their achievements.  

The goal is not to just identify them for their achievements, but also to assist them educationally by providing them an opportunity to receive a scholarship.  

Then for those who appreciate undergraduates and want them to succeed in the near future. Its also for those who want to compose and efficient/effective program management for organizations who desire to sponsor college undergraduates scholarship.           

Ever since it was established, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation has identified over 3 million students and aided more than 396,000 scholarships worth 1.5 billion and counting.

Every year, The National Merit Program chooses an approximate 15,000 undergraduates from across the country, titling them as finalist for the scholarship. Sadly, only half of the chosen undergraduates will receive the scholarship.

Misbah Chagpar was very proud to be considered for the award. In her future, she wishes to attend college and “pursue a career where I can help others.”

Mrs. Rodriguez-Baltrum notes that Misbah was a great student in her Spanish classes. She says, “She’s extremely diligent and thorough.” She added that Misbah’s strengths include working well with other students, her high level of respect for everyone, and her well-rounded personality because of her involvement in extracurriculars.

Spenser Bailey says he is “honored and thrilled to be part of a record setting group.” He notes that after achieving a quality score on the PSAT during junior year, he realized the honor was within reach.

Mr. Priestley notes that Spenser “demonstrated great student integrity on a daily basis.” He showed up with a great attitude and level of focus during his Advanced Placement United States History classes.

Taylor Campos had some things to express about being identified for the program, “It feels great! It’s very exciting to be recognized, especially in a class full of such amazing students.”

Regarding the process she went through to achieve this honor she said, “I think Ii just kept a positive attitude and worked as hard as Ii could throughout my high school career.”

She had many faculty members to thank for helping her achieve this honor. She thanks, “Mr. Plotke because he is an awesome coach and teacher. Mrs. Miller because she’s also an amazing coach. Lastly, Mr. Dron because he’s the best teacher ever and helped me with a lot of recommendation letters!”
Good luck to the finalists in all of their future endeavors!