All four Hendricken National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists named Finalists
For further information, contact: Michele King, Director of Communications, 401.739.3450, ext. 131, mking@hendricken.com
WARWICK, RI (March 13, 2020) – Four Bishop Hendricken seniors were awarded finalist status and are now eligible to receive a National Merit Scholarship to be offered in 2020. The 65th annual National Merit Scholarship Program recently determined which of the nearly 16,000 Semifinalists met all requirements to advance to finalist standing in the competition. The distinction places the young men in a group representing less than one percent of U.S. high school graduating seniors.
The following Class of 2020 Bishop Hendricken students have been notified of their opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,400 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million to be offered this spring: Logan Cuthill (Exeter), Joseph D’Alfonso (North Kingstown), Jonas Kendra (Cranston), and Timothy Moren (Warwick). Aidan Kendra, Class of 2016 and brother of Jonas Kendra, was also a National Merit Scholarship Finalist.
“We could not be more proud of these four young men,” said Bishop Hendricken Principal, Mark DeCiccio ’03. “Being named a National Merit Scholarship Finalist speaks volumes, not only as an impressive academic achievement, but also of the character and leadership abilities of these Hendricken men,” he added.
The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). Of the 1.5 million entrants, some 50,000 with the highest PSAT/NMSQT® Selection Index scores qualify for recognition in the National Merit® Scholarship Program. 16,000 students, or approximately one-third of the high scorers, were notified in September that they qualified as Semifinalists. To ensure that academically talented young people from all parts of the United States are included in this talent pool, Semifinalists are designated on a state-representational basis. They are the highest scoring entrants in each state.
All winners of Merit Scholarship® awards 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 evaluated: 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 student’s activities and leadership, and the Finalist’s own essay.
Every Finalist will then compete for a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship that will be awarded on a state-representational basis in the spring of 2020. About 1,000 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 220 corporations and business organizations for Finalists who meet their specific criteria. Additionally, about 180 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 4,100 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who attend the sponsor institution.
7,400 Merit Scholarship winners will be chosen from the field of finalists nationwide and will be notified by mail through June.
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