Seniors Helena Holland and Melanie Perry have been recognized as 2020 National Merit Semifinalists.
Two Eagle Ridge Academy Seniors Named National Merit Semifinalists
Helena Holland and Melanie Perry, two Eagle Ridge Academy seniors, have been recognized as semifinalists as part of the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program. The award is based on their 2018 PSAT scores. Approximately 1.6 million students take the qualifying exam, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Holland and Perry were among the 16,000 students across the country chosen for the honor.
Holland and Perry will both have the opportunity to continue on in the National Merit Scholarship competition. The organization awards 7,500 scholarships each year.
“We are proud of Helena and Melanie,” said Bart Johnson, Principal of Eagle Ridge Academy’s Schools of Logic and Rhetoric (grades 6-12). “Their hard work and humility are models for us all at Eagle Ridge Academy. The students and staff that have worked with them as mentors and colleagues also share in their accomplishments. We congratulate these students on their achievements and wish them luck in the next round of the scholarship competition.”
“I was really excited and surprised when I found out I was a semifinalist,” shared Holland. “Many of the colleges I’m applying to give great scholarships for being part of the National Merit program, so I studied for the PSAT with that in mind.”
“I went into the PSAT expecting to prepare for the SAT, not anything more,” said Perry. “I had taken the ACT multiple times before, so that was my preparation.”
Both seniors emphasized the importance of staying calm on test day to get optimal results. “My general advice is that it’s going to be okay!” said Perry.
Eagle Ridge Academy has been inspiring joy in learning, citizenship in action, and virtue in character since 2004. The school now serves nearly 1,400 students in grades K-12 and has been recognized as a High Quality Charter School by the Minnesota Department of Education every year since 2014.
Questions? Please contact Mary Cornelius, Communications Specialist: mcornelius@eagleridgeacademy.org.