Three Greenies are Finalists for National Merit Scholarships
Seniors Bennett David '18, Coleman Davis '18, and Jonathan Gooch '18 belong to elite group
Many schools are lucky to have one National Merit Scholarship Finalist. Christ School has been blessed three times over.
Dean of Academics and Curriculum Brooke Depelteau announced Monday that seniors Bennett David '18, Coleman Davis '18, and Jonathan Gooch '18 are still in the running for one of 7,500 awards from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The scholarships are valued at $2,500 each.
Three National Merit Scholarship finalists for the Greenies are the most for any North Carolina school, public or private, west of Charlotte.
"These boys are outstanding citizens and students that are highly deserving of this recognition," Depelteau said. "Their commitment to academic excellence is a testament to their hard work and indicative of the high expectations they set for themselves. On behalf of the Christ School community, I applaud these boys and congratulate them on this honor."
Becoming eligible for a National Merit Scholarship is a process that begins the fall of a student's junior year. He or she takes the Preliminary SAT, and if they score in the country's top 1 percent, they become one of 16,000 semifinalists. Later, there is an application that must be submitted by the fall of a student's senior year with their transcript, SAT scores, information about activities and leadership roles, and a personal essay.
Bennett, for example, has given over 1,200 hours to community service during his time at Christ School. He has won the Congressional Award Gold Medal (the highest award given to youth by Congress) and the William T. Hornaday Silver Medal in Conservation (less than 160 have been awarded in more than a century). Bennett is also the Greenies' Honor Council chair, a student leader in the Habitat for Humanity Program, and captain of the FIRST Robotics Team 5854 at UNC Asheville.
"I am immensely grateful for the education I have received here at Christ School and for the finest and most supportive teachers a student could hope for," Bennett said.
Coleman is a finalist for N.C. State University's Park Scholarship, and like Bennett, has been recognized with multiple awards for conservation work. Jonathan joined Bennett and Coleman by becoming an Eagle Scout in October.
Now the waiting game will begin for all three Greenies. The NMSC will begin mailing scholarship offers to winners in March, a process that continues into June.
