10 Gatton Academy Students Named National Merit Finalists

10 members of the Gatton Academy’s Class of 2010 have been named National Merit Finalists.

Over 1.5 million students in about 22,000 high schools entered the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2009 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Students are testing in math, critical reasoning, and writing. The 15,000 Finalists honored are the highest-scoring entrants in their state and represent less than 1 percent of each state’s high school seniors.

Tim Gott, director of the Gatton Academy, explained that National Merit recognition can help students open doors for college admissions after their course of study at the Academy.

“With this recognition, these students have earned a key that will open tremendous educational opportunities,” Gott said. “We look forward to seeing what these students will accomplish in the days ahead.”

All winners of Merit Scholarship® awards (Merit Scholar® designees) are chosen from the Finalist group, based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments–without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference. A variety of information is available for NMSC selectors to evaluate–the Finalist’s academic record, information about the school’s curricula and grading system, two sets of test scores, school official’s written recommendation, information about the student’s activities and leadership, and the Finalist’s own essay.For Gott, that recommendation will be easy to give.

“It is an incredible honor to be named a National Merit Finalist,” Gott said. “These remarkable young people have been strongly prepared by their home high schools and the Gatton Academy is privileged to be able to contribute to the ongoing education of these outstanding students.”

2010 Gatton Academy National Merit Finalists:

Sam Brown (Greenwood High School, Warren County)
Thomas Choate (Warren Central High School, Warren County)
Amy Cordero (Pikeville High School, Pike County)
Cody Feldhaus (Conner High School, Boone County)
Jacob Haven (Bourbon County High School, Bourbon County)
Ballard Metcalfe (Eminence High School, Henry County)
Rohith Palli (Paul L. Dunbar High School, Fayette County)
Sarah Pritchett (George Rogers Clark High School, Clark County)
Katherine Rush (Franklin County High School, Franklin County)
Ryne Weiss (Madison Central High School, Madison County)

Scholarship winners will be named in Spring 2010.

For more information, contact Corey Alderdice at (270) 745-2971.

Class of 2010, national merit, National Merit Finalists