Consolidated High School District 230 congratulates four seniors for being named National Merit Finalists. As finalists, these students are among the nation’s top academic achievers, ranking in the top 0.5% of U.S. high school seniors. The four District 230 seniors are in the running for National Merit Scholarships. As finalists, they have an opportunity to receive one of 6,870 National Merit Scholarships – totaling nearly $26 million – which will be awarded in the spring.

SANDBURG: Jocelyn Chan is co-founder of Sandburg’s Dungeons & Dragons Club, a member of the Superintendent Student Advisory Committee, Lead Programmer and Competition Team Driver for the Robotics Team, and an award-winning member of SkillsUSA, Badminton, Scholastic Bowl and Mathletes. She also serves as a math tutor inside and outside of school. With 14 Advanced Placement courses under her belt, she is in the top 1% of her class. She is also an AP Scholar with Distinction and a Mu Alpha Theta and National Spanish Honors Society member. 

 SANDBURG: Brandon Torres is a Scholastic Bowl Executive Board member and among the top 20 players in the state. He helped automate the Scholastic Bowl season tournament schedule by creating a spreadsheet to track members’ learning progress. As Mu Alpha Theta president he created a spreadsheet to track more than 9000 tutoring hours. He is also a former member of Mathletes and ACES. An AP Scholar with Distinction, Torres plans to pursue a degree in Actuarial Science.

STAGG: Adrian Gunka is a flute player in the Stagg Marching Band. He is also a member of Model United Nations and a Stagg Mathlete. In addition to his flawless grades, he has taken a total of 11 Advanced Placement classes and passed the high school graduation exam at the Jan Karski Polish School. He volunteers at the Charger Learning Center and The Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn and is a five-time camp counselor at Camp Vista in Campbellsport, WI.

STAGG: While undecided about where and what to study, Grant Saunders prefers the fast-paced math and hard sciences classes. He plays tuba in marching band and wind symphony and is a member of Mathletes, Scholastic Bowl, and Model UN. He serves as an academic mentor at Stagg and volunteers outside school through his scouting troop.

The selection process for scholarship winners involves evaluating information about finalists obtained from both students and their high schools. Included are the finalist’s academic record (course load and difficulty level, depth and breadth of subjects studied, and grades earned); PSAT/NMSQT scores; the student’s essay; demonstrated leadership and contributions to school and community activities; and the school official’s written recommendation and characterization of the finalist.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition among high school students for recognition and college scholarships. The program is conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance. 

Students enter the program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which serves as an initial screen of over 1.3 million entrants each year, and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements.