Fifteen local students honored as National Merit Scholarship finalists
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

Nine students from Calabasas High School and six from Agoura High School have been named National Merit Scholarship finalists.

Calabasas High seniors Devin Banerjee, Kristen Cyffka, Derrick Hang, Derke Ju, Abraar Karan, Hallie Kutak, Michael Liu, David Shim and Ryan Shumacher were notified of the honor and have entered the finals of the academic competition.

Mihir Bawal, Sarah Caffey, Daniel French, Rufung Lin, Sarah Nagy and Michale Samuels made the grade as finalists from Agoura High School.

"This is a great acknowledgment of our rigor in our courses at Calabasas High School, the outstanding and professional teaching staff, (and) the great kids and parents in our community," said Dave Jackson, principal of Calabasas High. "We are so proud of all of our 2,000 students and are especially proud of these nine seniors who are the top of the top."

Agoura High Principal Larry Misel was equally pleased with the news. "We're extremely proud of them," Misel said. "The effort by the students, the preparation by the teachers and the support by the parents are all key to success for not just these students but every student."

More than 1.4 million juniors in nearly 21,000 schools entered the 2007 National Merit Scholarship competition by taking the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test. The test compares critical reading, math problem solving and writing skills of high school students throughout the nation. Students with the highest test scores are chosen from each state.

According to the National Merit Scholarship organization, semifinalists are ranked among the top 1 percent of all U.S. high school seniors.

Finalists are judged by their total academic accomplishments during four years of high school, officials said. In addition to a stellar academic record, finalists must be recommended by the school principal and earn SAT scores that confirm earlier test results. Students must also submit an essay describing their leadership skills and community activities.

This year, about 15,000 semifinalists entered the final stretch of the competition. Finalists compete for one of 2,500 National Merit Scholarships worth $2,500. Corporations and business organizations also offer scholarships. About 200 colleges and universities finance 4,600 awards.

"We recognize and honor these students for their dedication to academic rigor," said Sherry Bronow, assistant principal of curriculum and instruction at Agoura High School.