Students recognized for academic, athletic achievements

Warwick Valley students were recognized on Nov. 13 at the district’s Board of Education meeting for accomplishments both in the classroom and on the court. Among the students were six National Merit Scholarship Commended Students, a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist and the Girls Varsity Tennis Section IX Champions.

The meeting began by honoring the academic accomplishments of students who took the PSAT/NMSQT exam and qualified for specific recognitions in the National Merit Scholarship Program. The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition held each year since 1955 by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

“Of all test takers in the U.S. each year, only 16,000 across the nation qualify as semifinalists,” said Dr. David Leach, Warwick Valley Central School District Superintendent, adding that only 34,000 students qualify as commended students. “Those are very small numbers when you consider the hundreds of millions of folks that live in the country.”

National Merit Scholarship Commended honors go to students who scored in the top 4% of students nationwide on the PSAT/NMSQT exam, Leach said. National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists have scored in the top 1% and are eligible to continue competing for Merit Scholarship awards. About 95% of the semifinalists are expected to become finalists, allowing them to be considered for scholarship opportunities based on their abilities, skills and accomplishments.

Members of the Girls Varsity Tennis Team were also recognized after they won this season’s Section IX Championships. The team went undefeated for the second time in a row and finished the regular season with a 12-0 record. They ultimately lost in a regional match to Horace Greely, the defending state champion.

“As great as they are on the court – they make it look easy – but they put in a lot of work, but they’re also scholar athletes,” coach William Zwart said of the team. “They are a very tight-knit group. They support each other.”

To commemorate the accomplishment, each member of the team received a divisional patch and photographs. The team will receive their Section IX patches in December.