Although these four seniors may look like your everyday hard-working, high-honors students, they are much more than that. Due to their high-achieving scores on the PSAT/NMSQT, seniors Jayden Wu, Simone Miller, Ben Simpson and Megan Petersen have joined this year’s top 50,000 high scorers throughout the country, qualifying them for the National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSP).

Since the beginning of his journey at the school, one of Principal Rick Barnes’ goals has been to raise overall school testing scores, which is why he was “extremely happy” when he found out that LHS has four qualifying students.

“It shows what I’ve always known to be true since I’ve been here: we do have students who can achieve at a high level,” Barnes said. “It just shows that we are as competitive as Bedford, Windham or some of the other schools. Our kids deserve that recognition, and it’s [also] a recognition of the teaching that also goes on, so it’s kind of a win for everyone.”

Miller, Simpson and Petersen were named Commended Students, meaning they were in the top 50,000 scorers country-wide, while Wu was named a Semifinalist, making him in the top 16,000 scorers.

“This is a big deal for the students,” Barnes said. “This designation alone is similar to saying you’re top in your class. It’s another reminder that we are as competitive as some of these other schools, and we’re not often recognized, but I think that’s going to change over time.”

The semifinalist

According to page 42 of the PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide, Wu, as a semifinalist, is “representing less than 1% of the nation’s high school graduating seniors.”

“When I found out I was named a semifinalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program, I felt truly honored,” Wu said. “It felt so fulfilling to be given this award. This achievement, for me, means a lot. Not only does it look good to colleges, but it also means that all the hard work I put in paid off, which is a truly great feeling.”

On top of his challenging coursework, Wu is a very active member of the school community, between all of the academic clubs and honor societies he is involved in, and tennis. Finding a good routine has helped him establish a great work ethic over the years.

“Sometimes balancing everything can be hard, but I think the thing that helps me the most is having a schedule,” Wu said. “I plan out my day ahead of time so I know what to expect and what I need to get done.”

Having a “great support system” has also been “a big help” to Wu as he navigates the intense workload that high school brings.

“I would say one of my biggest inspirations through my academic journey has been my parents; they strive for me to do my absolute best because they know I can,” Wu said. “The support they have truly made me the best version of myself. They push me to do my best and support me when I falter.”

As for studying for the PSAT/NMSQT, the “most beneficial thing” Wu did was go over SAT practice tests.

“Doing this helped me realize I needed to work a bit more on the English part, and after that, I continued practicing until I felt confident for the actual test,” Wu said. “Practice tests also helped me get familiar with the test structure and the tools I was allowed, like Desmos on the math section.”

Taking the time to study is one of the biggest reasons why Wu is in the top one percent of high scorers across the country. Between his work ethic and high academic abilities, Wu’s future college and career plans are looking bright.

“My main college aspirations are getting into a top engineering university and going into mechanical or electrical engineering,” Wu said. “This scholarship will hopefully help me stick out to colleges, along with my other activities and achievements. I hope this achievement makes colleges look twice at my application.”

The Commended Students

As one of the three commended students, Miller feels “very honored” to be representing the school at such a prestigious level. Along with that honor, though, came shock when she got the news.

“I knew I spent some time preparing for it, but I really wasn’t sure where my score fell,” Miller said. “I guess it’s a testament to [the fact that] hard work pays off. I studied pretty hard for that test, so I’m really glad of the results.”

The study methods that Miller used in preparation for the PSAT/NMSQT were taking the SAT prep class with Ms. DeArville and taking most of the College Board practice tests, which she thinks “worked pretty well.”

“I’m all for these test-optional college applications, but a good thing about standardized tests is they teach you how to become a good, functional adult in a way,” Miller said. “I’ve learned a lot of time management by practicing and [taking] the test. It just teaches you focus, and I’m grateful for that.”

Miller hopes to put this recognition on her college applications, which will add yet another achievement that sets her in the top percentage of students.

“I’m grateful that that’s something I have to put on there, but I hope that it only shines alongside my [other] qualities,” Miller said. “I’d rather be known for my personality than my test score, because I mean more than a score.”

Like Wu, family is the foundation of Miller’s support system. According to Miller, her mom and dad “have helped her the most.”

“They’re very supportive when I need to go study, so I’m really grateful for that,” Miller said. “I know that’s a very rare thing to have, so I’m very grateful.”

Parental support is a vital component to these two qualifiers’ success, but it doesn’t end there. According to Petersen, her parents are also “very supportive in basically everything.”

“My parents both do not care about grades very much,” Petersen said. “They are not [strict when it comes to grades], but they think it’s great that I’m doing as well as I am. Occasionally, they’ll jokingly say, ‘oh, an A- this time?’ but they’ve never put any actual pressure on me.”

With her parents to support her, Petersen plans on pursuing her love for reading. Petersen can always be caught with a book, and she wants to turn that passion into becoming a literary editor in the future.

“[This job] sounds really cool because I’d get paid to read books and versions of the books that don’t get published,” Petersen said. “If I could help at all with one book, one book that brings one person the amount of joy I’ve gotten from various books that I’ve read throughout my life, that would be amazing.”

Another qualifier who is turning their passions into a career is Simpson, a member of the robotics team. Over the years that he has been a part of the PVC Pirates, his mentors have helped guide him to his current college and career aspirations.

“They have really helped to drive my passion for computer science and made me want to pursue that as a career,” Simpson said. “A couple of them went to WPI and that has influenced me towards going there. My top target schools right now are WPI and RIT. Both are really amazing schools with a lot of good academics.”

While striving for high academic universities, Simpson is helping to bring academic recognition to the high school. Contributing to one of these four high-achieving test scores, Simpson is “glad to be helping put [LHS] on the map academically.”

“It’s a cool honor,” Simpson said, “I don’t think there’s enough recognition of the academic side. We recognize a lot more of the sports than we do academic achievements, so it was really nice to be recognized, and it does help me take more pride in [my] academic ability.”

Support from the school

Barnes would “not be surprised at all to see us regularly have two or three National Merit semifinalists, which would put us within that elite group of schools in the state.”

“I definitely feel like we have that student population here,” Barnes said, “We just [need to] open those doors for them and let them have access to it.”

One department that does just that is school counseling, which works closely with students to explore their interests and help them find academic paths that best suit them. According to Director of School Counseling, Kaitlin Burkhardt, the counseling department also “guides them in discovering the many opportunities available at our school, so they can make connections that will help shape their future.”

“I was thrilled for these students,” Burkhardt said. “This recognition reflects their hard work, dedication, and academic excellence. It’s always exciting to see students’ efforts acknowledged in such a meaningful way.”

Another huge academic support is the curriculum department. According to Director of Curriculum Dr. Kim Lindley-Soucy, the curriculum “focuses on the content students need to be successful both for standardized tests as well as to help them be college and career ready.”

“We revisit our scope and sequence of curriculum to make sure it aligns with what students are required to know and be able to do,” Lindley-Soucy said “An example of this is shifting when students take algebra and geometry to help them demonstrate knowledge on the [College Board] and state assessments.”

Barnes acknowledges that not all students are test takers, but he still wants everyone to “do their best and really be their best.”

“That’s really the only advice I have, because everyone’s ‘best’ is different,” Barnes said. “I don’t see any disadvantage to just putting your best effort in, because you’re going to have to do it somewhere along the line, whether you go to college or not. You’re going to have to take a test somewhere, so the more we can gain those skills, the more useful they are.”