Two Bethel Park High School seniors, Bryce Clancy and Henry Gaston, have achieved recognition for academic excellence from the National Merit Scholarship (NMS) Corporation as 2024 NMS finalists. These students are part of an esteemed group among their peers nationwide, with only 15,000 NMS finalists eligible for competition among 7,140 scholarships totaling over $30 million. This honor places Clancy and Gaston in the top one percent of U.S. high school seniors.
Entrance into this prestigious competition begins with the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) during the student's junior year. From the 1.5 million yearly entrants, approximately 50,000 with the highest PSAT/NMSQT Selection Index scores qualify for NMS recognition.
The National Merit Scholarship Program, which started in 1955, attracts about 1.5 million students from over 21,000 high schools annually. Mr. Joseph Villani, the Principal of Bethel Park High School, expressed pride in the students' achievement, attributing it to their hard work and dedication to learning.
“We are all so proud of Bryce and Henry for being named National Merit Finalists, and wish them well as they continue to advance in this national recognition scholarship program," Mr. Joseph Villani, Bethel Park High School Principal, said. "Being in this exclusive national group of students further reflects all the hard work and dedication they have made to their academic pursuits.”