Plainfield South student honored as National Merit Commended Scholar

Plainfield South High School senior Andrea Smith has been honored as a Commended Student by the National Merit Scholarship Program, the school recently announced. She will be presented a letter of commendation by her school and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) - a test that serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.4 million entrants each year - and by meeting published program entry/participation requirements.

Of the more than 1.4 million entrants, roughly 50,000 earn some sort of recognition from the National Merit Program. Approximately two-thirds (34,000) of those are Commended Students who placed among the top five percent of students who were administered the test. The remaining students are considered National Merit Semifinalists and are eligible for scholarships from the NMSC.

For more information, contact Plainfield South Associate Principal Ken Decker at (815) 439-5540.