Seven St. Joseph seniors receive national recognition
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Jonathan Hyak
NATIONAL MERIT COMMENDED STUDENTS
Amanda Leigh Boozalis
Reno Barton Bradicich
Rachel Lynn Grahmann
Jonathan Mitry Hyak
Kurt George Kotzur
Rebecca Lynn Nitschmann
Shaleen Rasendu Vasavada
THE PSAT
Of the 1.5 million entrants, ...
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NATIONAL MERIT COMMENDED STUDENTS
Amanda Leigh Boozalis
Reno Barton Bradicich
Rachel Lynn Grahmann
Jonathan Mitry Hyak
Kurt George Kotzur
Rebecca Lynn Nitschmann
Shaleen Rasendu Vasavada
THE PSAT
Of the 1.5 million entrants, only 34,000 students receive a letter of commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Program, according to the program's Web site.
To get commended status, students must have a score of at least 201 out of 240 on their PSAT.
OTHER SCHOOLS
One student at Memorial High School received commended status this year, according to test officials. Further information on the student was not available from the Victoria school district Friday.
The Victoria Advocate encourages all Crossroads school districts to submit information about their top students.
The summer before her junior year, St. Joseph High School senior Rachel Grahmann took an an SAT course to prepare for the PSAT.
The course paid off, she said, when she got word she was a National Merit commended scholar this year.
"I was happy and a little bit surprised," the 17-year-old said. "Mainly happy and proud, I guess."
Rachel is one of seven students at St. Joseph to receive the recognition.
To achieve commended status, students must have Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test score of at least a 201 out of 240, usually taken their junior year, a NMSP official said.
Principal Tony Winstead said the number of commended students at St. Joseph this year is more than in recent years.
"We have five more this year than last year. The class of 2010 is an outstanding class all the way around," Winstead said.
All seven commended students are in the top 20 of their class, Winstead said.
Though commended students do not advance to the semifinalist round, they are still eligible for competitive scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses, according the NMSP Web site.
When Jonathan Hyak took his PSAT, he didn't realize how important the test scores were for scholarships, he said.
"Now that I realize the implication, it's a lot more important to me - and my mom," said the 18-year-old, who is applying to universities such as Vanderbilt and Emory. "It opens up more scholarship opportunities and it helps give you an edge on college applications."
Jonathan made sure to have a good breakfast before the test, he said.
"I ate eggs and toast for breakfast," the football player said.
Shaleen Vasavada, 17, expected more from himself, he said.
"I was pretty disappointed," said the Knowledge Bowl team member, who hopes to get into the University of Pennsylvania or Stanford University next fall. "I thought I was going to be a semifinalist, so it was a humbling experience. I still haven't recovered."
This year's senior class of 94 students is a competitive one, students and faculty say.
"I can think of maybe one other class that might come close in my 43 years as either a teacher or counselor," said Pat Matula, a guidance counselor. "Most of them came from Our Lady of Victory, Trinity Episcopal or Nazareth Academy. They talked to me about these kids when they were in those schools. They've always been very smart and very competitive."
Being a small and competitive class means classmates keep an eye on your success, said Kurt Kotzur, who is active in the Victoria Science Club and tutors underclassmen in Spanish.
"Personally, we all like each other in an academic context," Kurt, 18, said. "We all know each other and each other's grades."
And there's no secret to which universities St. Joseph seniors get accepted to.
Near the counselor's office, a hallway bulletin board displays the university logo and who got accepted there, said Valerie McDaniel, the school's registrar.
"They've been very quick to tell us if they've been accepted somewhere," said McDaniel, who updates the board. "I think it means a lot to them."
Logos on the bulletin board so far include Texas A&M, University of Texas, University of Oklahoma and Texas Tech, McDaniel said.
The bulletin board mirrors the class's competitiveness, said Rachel, who is eyeing Trinity University or Baylor for college.
"Even now with applying to colleges, it's who's applying to where," Rachel said. "Whenever I walk by, I look to see if there's anything new."
