Two Hamilton Students Recognized in National Academic Competition

seniors Mathew Olkowski and Kathryn Le Claire have been named in the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program.

After taking the preliminary qualifying test in 2010, the two students learned they are placed in the top scores. More than 1.5 million students took the qualifying test across the United States.

Olkowski was named a semifinalist in the program. He is among almost 16,000 semifinalists nationwide and will continue in the 2012 competition for Merit Scholarship awards. The pool of semifinalists represents less than 1 percent of high school seniors in the U.S.

Le Claire was named a Commended Student and is among 34,000 students recognized for her exceptional academic promise. Although she will not continue in the 2012 competition, Le Claire was recognized for placing among the top 5 percent of U.S. students who took the exam.

However, Merit Scholarships still await Olkowski. To become a finalist, he must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, land a recommendation from the school principal and earn a high SAT score that confirms his preliminary test.