Fourteen DMPS Students Are National Merit Semifinalists

2015NationalMerit2Fourteen high school seniors representing East, Hoover, Lincoln and Roosevelt have been chosen as Semi-Finalists in the 61st annual National Merit Scholarship competition, placing them among the top young scholars in the state and nation. The Des Moines students were selected based on their strong performance on the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) test taken last year.

Des Moines Public Schools is proud to announce that the following students have been designated National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalists:

  • Isabel Allaway, Roosevelt
  • Matthew Bourland, Hoover
  • Akanksha Chilukuri, Roosevelt
  • Alexander Fleming, Roosevelt
  • Helena Gruensteidl, Roosevelt
  • William Gunderson, Roosevelt
  • Zachary Lin, Roosevelt
  • Payton McBurney, East
  • Margaret Norland, Roosevelt
  • Bryan Richter, Lincoln
  • Nathan Rider, Hoover
  • Andrew Shumway, Roosevelt
  • John Wahlig, Roosevelt
  • Matthew Wells, Roosevelt

“The academic opportunities provided to our students in Des Moines enable them to be among the best and brightest in our state and nation,” said Tom Ahart, superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools. “Being recognized as a National Merit Semi-Finalist is a great honor for these fourteen students as well as for their teachers. Congratulations to them and their families.”

Officials at the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of approximately 16,000 Semi-Finalists in the 61st Annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,400 National Merit Scholarships worth about $32 million that will be offered next spring. About 90 percent of the Semi-Finalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and more than half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.

More than 500 National Merit Semi-Finalists have attended Des Moines Public Schools over the years.