The National Merit School Competition provided Letters of Commendation for schools to present to these students in recognition of their outstanding academic promise. Although Commended Students will not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships, some may be candidates for Special Scholarships provided by corporate and business sponsors. More than two-thirds of the 50,000 high scorers from the 2024 PSAT were notified through their high schools that they have qualified as Commended Students.

Mr. Akers also presented two WCHS students with the notification that they are still in the competition for the NMSC's highest scholarship, awarded beginning in March of 2026.  More than 16,000 of the high scorers, representing less than 1% of the nation’s high school graduating seniors, will qualify as Semifinalists. Only Semifinalists will have an opportunity to advance in the competition for Merit Scholarship® awards. NMSC will notify Semifinalists of their standing and send scholarship application materials to them through their high schools in September 2025. Their names will be forwarded to regionally accredited four-year U.S. colleges and universities and released to local news media for public announcement in mid-September.

WCHS Semi-Finalists are Preston Park and Ian Parrott.  Park is the son of Dr. Sung and Claire Sun-ah Park of Warsaw.  Parrott is the son of Russ and Rebecca Parrott of Winona Lake.  We wish these young men the best as they move forward in the competition.