North Cook News

Evanston Township High School District 202 National Merit and National Achievement scholars were recently honored for their efforts.

During a Nov. 14 school board meeting, Evanston College and Career Services Coordinator Beth Arey presented to the board the National Merit and National Achievement scholars. The students who were recognized were some of the 16,000 students nationwide who qualified as semifinalists in the competition. They qualified by having high enough scores on the PSAT in their junior year, representing the top 1% of participants.

"The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than 1% of the U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state," Arey said at the meeting.

The students will have the opportunity to continue to compete throughout the year, with finalists and scholarships being announced in the spring of 2023. The National Achievement scholarship is a targeted competition that includes members of underrepresented minority groups and recognizes their achievements despite their hardships.

There were nine students from the district who were honored for their achievements in the competition: Francis, Emmet, Caroline, Jason, Sophia, Max, Rex, Jane and Luca. Their names were read before the board and community members. They were honored by the board and were each given a pin commemorating the experience.