ICSD Student Named National Merit Finalist

February 28, 2019, (Independence, IA) – Independence Community School District (ICSD) recently received news that ICSD student, Zander Smith has been named a National Merit Scholar Finalist.

Zander received this honor after being named a National Merit Scholar Semi-Finalist last fall. Being named a National Merit Scholar Semi-Finalist means that he scored in the top 1% of all the juniors who took the P-SAT in the country. Zander is the fourth ICSD student to be recognized with this honor in the last five years.

After being named a Semi-Finalist, Zander went on and fulfilled the requirements needed to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. Typically 90% of the Semi-Finalists will attain Finalist standing and about half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship and also earn Merit Scholar® title. Winners will be announced this spring.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation will choose the scholarship winners by evaluating a variety of academic data. Items taken into consideration incl

ude: the finalist’s academic record, information about the school’s curricula and grading system, two sets of test scores, the high school official’s written recommendation, information about the finalist’s activities and leadership, and a personal essay.

Principal Howard states, “Zander has proven, throughout the course of his high school career, to be one of our top students. He is dedicated, passionate and respected by his classmates and school staff. He has shown a willingness to go above and beyond in the classroom and in extra-curricular activities. As the principal, I am grateful for all his work and proud of his success. I am sure he will do very well at a post-secondary institution.”

For more information on National Merit Scholarship Corporation, visit their website at www.nationalmerit.org

 

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