Class of 2015 Yields 34 National Merit Scholars and 1 National Achievement Honoree

Posted September 26, 2014 / Last updated September 21, 2015

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Jesuit’s 34 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists represent 16% of Louisiana’s 218 semifinalists from 59 schools.

Jesuit’s 34 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists represent 16% of Louisiana’s 218 semifinalists from 59 schools.

The Class of 2015’s 34 semifinalists in the prestigious National Merit Scholarship Program — the most from any school in Louisiana — were recognized in front of the entire student body at Morning Assembly on Friday, September 26. Jesuit’s one semifinalist in the National Achievement Scholarship Program was also recognized.

The 34 Blue Jays honored as Merit Semifinalists posted scores ranging from 208 to 233 on the PSAT, which is used as the initial screen in the annual competition underwritten by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). This marks the 60th year of the scholarship program, which today recognizes some 16,000 semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors.

Jesuit’s 34 honorees represent 16% of Louisiana’s 218 semifinalists from 59 schools. The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to that state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

Jesuit’s lone National Achievement Semifinalist is among 1,600 in the U.S. recognized in the NMSC’s National Achievement Scholarship Program. This program was initiated in 1964 to recognize academically promising black students and to provide scholarships to a substantial number of the most outstanding program participants.

The photo above was taken on the steps of the school’s main entrance prior to Ring Mass on Saturday, September 6.

Among the national scholars in the Class of 2015 are, bottom row (from left): National Achievement Semifinalist Jonathan Legier; National Merit Semifinalists William Arnold, Harrison Bond, Eric Bussey, Matthew Cedro, and Rishab Chimmanamada;

Second row: Robert Comeaux, Kevin Conrad, Garth Cook, Benjamin D’Antonio, and John Doherty;

Third row: Joel Epling, Patrick Fine, Mako Giordano, Joshua Hudak, and Mark James;

Fourth row: Blake Jaubert, Richard Kernion, Patrick LaCour, Brett Lorio, and Freeman Matthews;

Fifth row: Michael Riddick, Jacob Rovira, Daniel Sagona, Matthew Sentilles, and Patrick Simonson;

Sixth row: Anthony Smith, Brandon Sprague, Steven Stradley, Matthew Stuckey, and Joshua Talbot;

Back row: William Tittle, Garrett Tobin, Francis Weller, and Samuel Zelden.

Additionally, 18 seniors who just missed the 208 cutoff score but received recognition as “Commended” scholars in the National Merit Program are: Andrew Amedee, William Baudouin, Michael Belanger, Anthony Celano, Henry Creel, Raymond Daigle, James Deichmann, Mitchell Falcon, David Gaines, Trevor Laborde, Daniel Langteau, Glenn Lorio, Christian Maher, Michael McMahon, Mason Page, Frederick Schmidt, Christopher Simmons, and Gerard Spencer.

Jesuit also has one “Outstanding Participant” (the equivalent of “Commended”) in the National Achievement Program: Evan Carrie.

Jesuit typically has one or more seniors recognized in the National Hispanic Scholar Program, but the results of that competition, under separate auspices of The College Board, will not be known until mid-October.