Cincinnati, Ohio, October 9, 2014 – Saint Ursula Academy is proud to announce 12 students recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for 2014-2015. The students earned the National Merit honors as semifinalists, commended students and national achievement outstanding participants. The girls earned these honors for their scores on the PSAT test they took as juniors and represent 8% of the senior class.
The National Merit Semifinalists scored in the top 1% of the 1.5 million students who took the PSAT as juniors. They are:
Katherine Habel of Hyde Park
Florence Shanley of Indian Hill
The National Merit Commended Students scored in the top 5% of the 1.5 million students who took the PSAT as juniors. They are:
Ramya Chandrakumar of Loveland
Natalie Danenhauer of Green Township
Alexandra Goss of Loveland
Anne Heffernan of Bridgetown
Elena Helmers-Wegman of Price Hill
Catherine Hidy of Indian Hill
Caitlin Kelly of Wyoming
Madeline Michel of Hyde Park
The National Achievement Outstanding Participants scored in the top 3% of more than 160,000 Black Americans who took the PSAT in the fall. They are:
Loren McCauley of Milford
Taylor Swope of Springdale
All of these students are academically talented high school seniors. The Semifinalists move on in the competition. They are among 16,000 semifinalists who have an opportunity to compete next spring for 7,600 Merit Scholarship awards worth more than $33-million. Finalists will be notified beginning in April 2015.
“Our students choose St. Ursula for its consistent high standard of academic excellence knowing that the curriculum and co-curricular activities are designed to unlock the potential of each student and help them achieve their goals,” said St. Ursula Principal Craig Maliborski.
St. Ursula Academy teachers and students work together to participate in an educational process that promotes critical thinking, problem solving techniques, and higher level thinking. All are necessary elements for success on the PSAT test, which determines those chosen for the National Merit Program as Semifinalists, Commended Students or Outstanding Participants.
To learn more about St. Ursula Academy, please visit www.saintursula.org.
St. Ursula Academy is a Catholic, college-preparatory, secondary school for young women known for academic excellence and rich tradition. St. Ursula welcomes students from more than 70 grade schools in the Greater Cincinnati area. In 2002 the Academy was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School. The campus, located at 1339 E. McMillan Street in East Walnut Hills has been the home of St. Ursula Academy and Convent since 1910. The Class of 2014 earned college scholarships totaling more than $20-million.