Back row (left to right): Dr. Bourff, Josh Roth, Eli Hagedorn, Eli Kipp, Wilson has, Mikayla Orwell, Greg Bond, Ashton Murray, Jason Urban. Front row (left to right): Daniel King, Marie Hughey, Bryn Tierney, Lizzie Brown. National Merit semifinalists take a picture with superintendent Dr. Bourff and principal Jason Urban.

Each year, FHS holds a National Merit Breakfast to congratulate the National Merit semifinalists. Students earn this achievement by scoring a certain level on the PSAT that they took the previous October.

At the breakfast on Thursday, Sept. 8, students, parents, teachers and administrators gathered in H136 to talk about future plans and celebrate success. Each semifinalist discussed their intended college and major.

“The National Merit Breakfast was actually quite fun,” senior Mikayla Ortell said. “We had a lot of higher ups from the school system there which made me feel a bit like a celebrity.”

Only 16,000 students reach the semifinalist level, and this year 13 of them came from FHS. In February, 15,000 of those semifinalists will receive letters notifying them that they are finalists. They will receive commendation from their school and a certificate.

“I’m hoping that National Merit status opens up a lot of scholarship opportunities and the opportunity to travel out of state. I know that a lot of schools offer substantial scholarships for finalists,” Ortell said.

To learn more about National Merit status, click here.