WCS Celebrates Record Number of National Merit Semifinalists

For the fourth year in a row, WCS students have set a new National Merit Semifinalist record. This year, 88 students earned the distinguished designation. The previous record was 81, set in 2023.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the Semifinalists Wednesday, September 11. Of the 1.5 million students to enter the program, only about 16,000 receive this honor each year. In 2022, 79 WCS students were named Semifinalists. In 2021, the district had 72 Semifinalists.

"I'm impressed with how our students continue to perform at such a high level," said WCS Superintendent Jason Golden. "Accomplishments like this open a lot of doors, and I want to congratulate our students along with their families and teachers for attaining such a prestigious honor."

High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Any Semifinalist who has been selected as a National Merit Scholarship Finalist will be notified in February. To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and their high school must submit an application including information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment and any honors and awards they received.

"We are so proud of our students earning this accomplishment," said WCS Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Schools Dr. Leigh Webb. "The foundation for this type of success really starts in elementary school and builds upon itself through high school. Our teachers are truly committed to excellence and ensuring high levels of learning for all students in WCS."

Congratulations to the students listed below:

• Ivy Allen, Brentwood High
• Leonardo Bai, Brentwood High
• Ivy Chang, Brentwood High
• Thilo Coughlan, Brentwood High
• Dennis DeGennaro, Brentwood High
• Andrew Estrella, Brentwood High
• Andrew Gan, Brentwood High
• Todd Glenn, Brentwood High
• Cole Hawkins, Brentwood High
• Allison Hoesel, Brentwood High
• Nisha Javagal, Brentwood High
• Parsa Khairollahi, Brentwood High
• Arshia Malhotra, Brentwood High
• Margaret McClendon, Brentwood High
• Cade McConnell, Brentwood High
• Geon Park, Brentwood High
• Katherine Perez, Brentwood High
• Pranav Sathu, Brentwood High
• Katie Wang, Brentwood High
• Lucy Wyatt, Brentwood High
• Collin Youngberg, Brentwood High
• Natalie Blank, Centennial High
• Roman Comer, Centennial High
• Michael Eischen, Centennial High
• Alexandria Hooks, Centennial High
• Eve O'Donnell, Centennial High
• Navdeep Petapalle, Centennial High
• Willow Reuthe, Centennial High
• Levi Sponsel, Centennial High
• Kory Stiles, Centennial High
• Sreenesh Allu, Page High
• Anna Avery, Page High
• MacKenzie Ey, Page High
• John Gray, Page High
• Olivia Lee, Page High
• Nishanth Sundar, Page High
• William Swallows, Page High
• Adelaide Edwards, Franklin High
• Judy Hsu, Franklin High
• Rinaz Jamel, Franklin High
• Andrew Jiang, Franklin High
• Zane King, Franklin High
• Ridham Ohri, Franklin High
• Gabriel Pallekonda, Franklin High
• Morea Quick, Franklin High
• Finnegan Saylor, Franklin High
• Dorsa Taheri, Franklin High
• Abby Webb, Franklin High
• Peyton Brandon, Independence High
• Connor Britt, Independence High
• Brendan Casner, Independence High
• Kate Honken-Krause, Independence High
• Elliot Lindsey, Independence High
• Anthony Palmiden, Independence High
• Dewang Sahay, Independence High
• Aditya Shreekanth, Independence High
• Deepak Balamurugan, Nolensville High
• Desi Kelley, Nolensville High
• Samuel McCarthy, Nolensville High
• Bryce Russell, Nolensville High
• Emily Sherrill, Nolensville High
• Jumana Ali Amghaiab, Ravenwood High
• Oluwaseyi Amosun, Ravenwood High
• Ajay Balaje, Ravenwood High
• Shruti Chakraborty, Ravenwood High
• Yash Deorah, Ravenwood High
• Caelan Dunlea, Ravenwood High
• Kyra Gianakos, Ravenwood High
• Katelyn Green, Ravenwood High
• Jack Herrmann, Ravenwood High
• William Hoskins, Ravenwood High
• Joseph Raphael, Ravenwood High
• Qi Jun Yeung, Ravenwood High
• Manushri Kalasikam, Ravenwood High
• Rohan Kilaru, Ravenwood High
• Sonia Kripalani, Ravenwood High
• Ariela Lowen, Ravenwood High
• Arnav Mehta, Ravenwood High
• Ankita Nair, Ravenwood High
• Yug Patel, Ravenwood High
• Thomas Pierce, Ravenwood High
• Jason Wang, Ravenwood High
• Chetan Yenigalla, Ravenwood High
• Brayden Zhang, Ravenwood High
• Caroline Constantine, Summit High
• Paul Davis, Summit High
• Nathan Hoffman, Summit High
• Nathan Phillips, Summit High