MSHS National Merit Scholars
Congratulations MSHS Class of 2010 National Merit Scholars! Pictured left to right, back row: Chloe Loveridge, Natalie Copeland, Patrick Gavin, Jeff Heidel. Front row: Kyla Lindberg, semifinalist Annie (Dianna) Nelson, Alex Rudd and Julie Censullo.
Eight Mount Si High School class of 2010 seniors have earned the distinction of National Merit Scholars - setting a new school record at Mount Si High School for the number of students recognized.
Congratulations...Semifinalist Annie (Dianna) Nelson and Commended Students: Julie Censullo, Natalie Copeland, Patrick Gavin, Jeff Heidel, Kyla (Michyla) Lindberg, Chloe Loveridge and Alex (Alexandra) Rudd.
These students qualified for the National Merit program by taking the PSAT last October during their junior year and achieving PSAT Selection Index scores of 201 or above. Semifinalists are given the opportunity to continue in the National Merit Scholarship application process.
"We are very proud of these students recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for academic quality as measured by the PSAT," explained Mount Si High School Principal Randy Taylor. "This represents a school record for the number of students recognized! Coupled with other recent academic measures, we are continuing to see Mount Si students achieve at higher rates."
About the semifinalist... Semifinalist Annie Nelson, daughter of Jo Ann and John Nelson of North Bend, plans to continue with the application process to be considered for a National Merit Scholarship. She's also planning to attend a liberal arts college next year and is considering a double major in education and psychology, to possibly teach advanced high school Language Arts. Nelson has lived her whole life in the Snoqualmie Valley, attending Opstad Elementary and Chief Kanim Middle School prior to Mount Si. An artist in her free time drawing the human figure, Nelson is also an accomplished musician, who was selected to represent MSHS last year playing her flute at the All-State Competition.
Outside of taking advanced classes and tackling college applications, Annie faces an even greater challenge this year. She was diagnosed this summer with Soft Tissue Sarcoma, and has begun regular treatments of chemotherapy and radiation. Between treatments every three weeks, there's usually one week she feels well enough to attend classes. Adjusting to the changes, "I don't mind talking about it. I think you have to keep a sense of humor," adds Nelson. "I've especially appreciated the support I've gotten from my boyfriend Spencer."
Nelson's advice to students just entering high school..."Make your education a priority! I've had a great experience here and think we have some of the best teachers around. Mount Si offers a lot of different courses so you can determine how challenging your education is going to be."
