Rabbi Marc Baker, Gann Academy Head of School, announced that seniors
Daniel Gastfriend and Rafael Grinberg have qualified as Semifinalists in
the National Merit Scholarship Competition and Jacob Ahearn, Yael Klausner,
Ariela Knight, Benjamin Lang, Arthur Nix, Raphael Spitzer, and George Wilensky
have been named Commended Students in the 2008 National Merit Scholarship
Program.
Nationwide, 16,000 students were named Semifinalists in the competition. Representing
less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, Semifinalists are the
highest-scoring program entrants in each state, and they are the only participants
who have an opportunity to continue in the competition for Merit Scholarship
awards to be offered next spring.
About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized
for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue
in the 2008 competition for National Merit Scholarships, Commended Students
placed among the top five percent of more that 1.4 million students who
entered the 2008 competition by taking the 2006 Preliminary SAT/National
Merit Scholarship Qualifying test.
“Our nation’s pursuit of educational excellence can be furthered
by publicly honoring these outstanding students and by acknowledging the
important role schools play in fostering their development. We hope
that this recognition will contribute to their educational opportunities
and encourage all students to strive to realize their potential,” commented
a spokesperson for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
Founded in 1997, Gann Academy is a pluralistic Jewish high school with
309 students located on a 20-acre campus in Waltham, Massachusetts. |
