Bryant, Rasnick recognized as Merit Semifinalists
Posted September 25, 2012
Two seniors at The Webb School have been named National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalists and two received letters of commendation. Head of School Ray Broadhead made the announcement on Sept. 21 during chapel.
Carson Bryant, of Rockvale, and Micah Rasnick, of Bell Buckle, are among the top 1 percent of 2012-13 U.S. high school seniors to achieve the semifinalist distinction. A total of 16,000 semifinalists were named for the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program.
"This is a tremendous accomplishment for Carson and Micah, and all of us at Webb share in their joy,” said Broadhead. “We wish them the best of fortune as they move forward in the process to win a prestigious National Merit Scholarship.”
High school juniors are automatically entered into the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). Approximately 90 percent or 15,000 of the selected semifinalists are expected to advance to the finalist stage. To become a finalist, semifinalists must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, receive an endorsement/ recommendation from their high school principal and earn SAT scores that confirm their previous test performances. Semifinalists must also submit an essay and detailed application, which demonstrate participation and leadership in their schools and communities. Students will be notified in February if they have advanced to finalist standing.
Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2013. Every finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships, approximately 1,000 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards, and approximately 4,800 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation will begin announcing finalists in April 2013.
Two Webb seniors, Caitie Connor, of Murfreesboro, and Haley St. John, of Manchester, each received a 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program Letter of Commendation.
Approximately 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2013 competition for National Merit Scholarships, Commended Students placed among the top 5 percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2013 competition by taking the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
Bryant is involved in theater, is captain of the Quiz Bowl Varsity Team and will organize the school's biannual concerts, Webbstock and Springfest. He participated in the Research Experience for High School Students at Vanderbilt University last summer with Webb alumnus Chase Spurlock, during which he conducted research on rheumatoid arthritis. Bryant recently was named an AP Scholar with Honor, is a member of the Cum Laude Society, and received the Harvard Book Award as a junior.
Rasnick is president of the Honor Council, a member of the Cum Laude Society and Quiz Bowl team and the cross country and lacrosse teams. Last summer, he attended the Governor's School for Engineering and Tennessee Boys’ State. He received the Vanderbilt Book Award as a junior. Rasnick also leads worship in his church’s youth group.
