We are so proud of our 6 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists! Christian Buckley- Poca High Margaret Coppala- Winfield High Lincoln Patton- Winfield High Elijah Schultz- Hurricane High Lindsay Jones- Hurricane High Teddy Boggess- Hurricane High Congratulations! Below is our formal PCS Press Release: PCS Produces Six National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists September 10, 2014 Putnam County Schools is pleased to announce that we have six National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. Christian Buckley of Poca High School, Margaret Coppala and Lincoln Patton of Winfield High School, and Teddy Boggess, Lindsay Jones, and Elijah Schultz of Hurricane High School will now have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth about $33 million that will be offered in the spring before they go to college. Christian Buckley, who was recently named the Gatorade Male Track Athlete of the Year in West Virginia, and serves as both the National Honor Society and Student Body President at Poca High School says, “I was very happy to see that I had qualified. It has been a goal for a long time. My score went up each year I took the test. This will look good on a resume especially while exploring my college options. I am looking for my best fit academically and trying to find a comfortable fit in athletics.” Buckley is a two time state AA champion in both shot put and discus. He holds the state record for AA shot put and has reached All-American status 6 times in the Junior Olympics over the past 4 years. Hurricane High School’s Elijah Schultz says he thinks this will help with his application to Columbia where he would like to major in mechanical engineering. Elijah says, “At first I was wondering why I was being called to the office, but I was very happy when I found out it was because I was a Semifinalist.” Schultz is captain of the Hurricane High soccer team and a member of the Red Hot Show Choir. He is also a member of several academic clubs including NHS, Mu Alpha Theta, Chem, and the Future Scientists and Engineers of America.” Lindsay Jones says, “Hurricane High School and Putnam County Schools has helped my scores with prep classes. Jamie Dickinson has also helped me be better prepared. I’m so excited. This is an amazing opportunity and it’s very humbling.” Jones is also an officer for NHS, Chem Club, and FSEA. An important part of becoming a National Merit Finalist is school activities and leadership abilities. Jones displays both as a member of Key Club, Foreign Language Club, and Dance Team Captain at HHS. Teddy Boggess says he had a good feeling when taking the test and was relieved when he received his results. “Hurricane High School gives you a lot of options when it comes to what you want. There’s a really wide variety to choose from as far as classes.” Boggess is an officer in FSEA, Mu Alpha Theta, and is a member of NHS and Science NHS and the Foreign Language Club. Winfield High School’s Margaret Coppala says getting a qualifying score has taken a load off her mind. “This helps open up the door for many other scholarships. It’s a big help. I’ve always been in the Putnam County School system and I think thing they’ve done a good job teaching what is on the test. It’s been a good experience.” Coppala is a member of NHS and the Winfield High School Marching and Concert Band. She also plays cello at her church. Lincoln Patton says he had actually not been thinking of the test, but when he was notified of his qualification for the NMS he was happy. “This can be a big help as far as scholarships. I’m looking to go out of state to study video game design. Putnam County Schools has provided me access for what I need.” Patton is very interested in programming and is involved with robotics. He also plays the piano. Out of 1.4 million juniors that entered the nationwide contest, these six outstanding seniors rose to the top by taking the preliminary qualifying test as juniors. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists represents less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. Semifinalists will now go through an in-depth application process to possibly become Finalists for the NMS. If they become Finalists they will be notified in February if they can move on to become possible Merit Scholars.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 14:49:08 +0000
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