Three Badin High School seniors have been named Commended Students in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Seniors Kaitlyn Dick, Aaron Helson and Alexandra Hensley scored in the top five percent of the more than 1.6 million students who entered the 2017 scholarship competition by taking the 2015 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

While they will not continue in the 2017 competition for National Merit awards, they are among only 34,000 students in the country who will receive a letter of commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation recognizing their excellent performance on the test.

“That’s tremendous,” said Badin Principal Brian Pendergest. “These students know their way around the classroom and it shows up on these tests. They’re excellent representatives of Badin High School and have bright futures ahead of them.”

Badin senior David Berg had previously been recognized as a semifinalist in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship competition.

“Having four students earn National Merit recognition underlines the quality of education these students have received and the importance they place on doing well in school,” Pendergest said. “They will take these skills and values with them and do well at the next level.”

• Kaitlyn Dick is the daughter of Jeff and Kathy Dick of Fairfield and a graduate of Sacred Heart School. She plans to major in pre-med in college and is looking at the University of Dayton, the University of Kentucky, Indiana University and Xavier University as her top choices.
• Aaron Helson is the son of Jay and Cynthia Helson of West Chester and a graduate of Immanuel Lutheran School. He plans to major in math in college and is looking at the Ohio State University and Ohio University as his top choices.
• Alexandra Hensley is the daughter of Steven and Amy Hensley of Hamilton and a graduate of St. Peter in Chains School. She plans to major in political science and public policy in college and is looking at the University of Chicago, Indiana University, the Ohio State University and the University of South Carolina as her top choices.

“These students represent a valuable national resource,” said a National Merit Scholarship spokesman. “Recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key roles their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation.”

Contact: Dirk Q. Allen, (513) 863-3993, ext. 120; Dallen@BadinHS.org

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