On a normal morning like any other, Revere High School Principal Phil King called five students down to his office. As the students waited, they remained calm. They knew why they sat outside Mr. King’s office. They had not broken any rules, nor did they have any contraband. These five did not have histories as troublemakers; in fact, they represented the top of their class in academics. The students did not need to be disciplined. They needed to be congratulated.

Revere High School seniors Victoria Deng, Stephen Kronenberger, Broderick Lewis, Asha Ravichandran, and Leah Weisburn scored high enough on the PSAT to place as National Merit Semifinalists. The College Board selects students from around the country to commend and give a scholarship to each year in their National Merit Program, choosing only those who scored in the top one percent of all students in America. Using a combined score from the reading and math tests, the College Board identifies their commended students and semifinalists. From there, they determine their finalists through an application process.

This information did not surprise them, as Weisburn explained.

“The qualifying score tends to be similar each year. In the past it was [around] 215 . . . so if you know that your score was higher than that you have a pretty good guess [if you qualified],” Weisburn said.

Guidance counselors work with the semifinalist students in their portions of the alphabet. They help with all parts of the application process semifinalists must complete. Guidance counselor Mike Murphey oversees and organizes the PSAT test as well as the application process in general.

“There is a letter recommendation they have to [get from] a teacher, [and] they get recommended from [their guidance counselor]. We go through their academic record with the school, they have to take the SAT, [and] they have to write an application. Then it gets reviewed and . . . [students are notified] if they have made it to the finals level or not,” Murphey said.

The College Board also reviews information including a student’s extracurriculars, volunteer experience, out of school activities, and a personal essay written by the semifinalists themselves to determine finalist eligibility. All of the semifinalists from Revere participate in a variety of activities, including Deng. She elaborated on her educational and recreational pursuits.

“This year I am taking all AP classes, and in the past [I have taken] mostly honors and AP. That is a big part of my schedule. I run cross country and in the spring I run track, and I do academic clubs like Science Olympiad, Academic Challenge, [and] Mu Alpha Theta,” Deng said.

Lewis and Kronenberger participate in a diverse selection of activities, including Mu Alpha Theta Math Honors Society, soccer, and the National Honors Society. Weisburn and Ravichandran take AP classes, and participate in some clubs together, including Mu Alpha Theta, the National Honors Society, and Science Olympiad. Weisburn participates in band and orchestra as well. Ravichandran also spends her time in Academic Challenge, practicing Indian classical dance, and volunteering at Summa Akron City Hospital, where she serves on the community service board. Ravichandran believes that the National Merit Scholarship provides more than just financial aid for college.

“It is sort of a precursor the common [application]. Filling out this application helps [the National Merit Semifinalists] better understand how we can fill out the common [application],” Ravichandran said.

Murphey agrees that the National Merit Scholarship helps students in many ways; he feels that the scholarship represents more than just a monetary reward, providing an advantage for those who place as semifinalists and finalists.

“Think of entrance to colleges as a series of locks on a door. [For] students that want to get into some of the most selective schools . . . the National Merit is probably one of the most important locks to be able to turn, and it’s one of those opportunities for those students to really separate themselves from the rest of kids their age applying to school,” Murphey said.

Murphey spoke of Revere’s participation in the National Merit as the best of anywhere in America.

“It is really remarkable how well our students do and how high they achieve. I think it really speaks to the kind of families and homes they come from, where education is emphasized at home, the professional teaching staff, the curriculum that’s provided, and the students’ own work ethic and drive. It really is remarkable for a little school here in Summit County to have the percentage . . . [of students] that we have [participating] in that program,” Murphey said.

Students who have not reached the semifinalist level also have a chance for recognition in the National Merit program as Commended Students. Revere’s commended students include Ben Berry, Jenna Cross, Drew Espinal, Rachel Kraynak, Kevin Luo and Megan Travers.

The five semifinalists from Revere have completed the first steps in their journeys to become National Merit Finalists, but some paperwork remains.

“[We need to] submit [our applications] and get that all done, and then worry about colleges. Hopefully [we will] get in somewhere,” Weisburn said.

After the students turn in their application for the National Merit Scholarship by October 7 and will take the SATs by December 5, they will hope and await the College Board’s decision in February. Only then will they know if they have received the coveted title of National Merit Finalist. The College Board will notify finalist students of their title on February 10.