Heights announces National Merit Scholarship semifinalists

Cleveland Heights High School seniors Thomas Pharis, Abraham Mendes and Isaiah Pressman (from left).

Cleveland Heights High School seniors Thomas Pharis, Abraham Mendes and Isaiah Pressman are semifinalists in the first round of the 60th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

More than 1.4 million students nationally take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) as juniors, and the 50,000 with the highest scores can qualify as semifinalists. The semifinalists are eligible to apply to become finalists, a designation that includes scholarship opportunities.

Mendes is a committed musician and writer. He is sergeant of the Marching Band trombone section, first chair trombone in the Jazz Ensemble, and plays in the Brass Quartet and Symphonic Winds. He also recently helped start a board game club. Mendes plans to attend a liberal arts college to study creative writing, as he is interested in storytelling and hopes to write for TV someday. His top college choices are Bennington College in Vermont, Carlton College in Minnesota and Reed College in Oregon.

Pharis is currently taking all of his classes at Cleveland State University, through the Post Secondary Enrollment Options program. He loves math and is taking multivariable calculus, linear algebra, introduction to discrete mathematics, university physics and introduction to fiction. His first choices for colleges include Washington University, St. Louis University and University of Oklahoma, and he plans to study math, physics or computer security.

Pressman is very involved in the Vocal Music Department, where he has learned important vocal, drama and leadership skills. He is a co-president of the Barbershoppers and Singers, and will play the role of Nicely-Nicely Johnson in this year’s fall musical, “Guys and Dolls.” Next year Pressman plans to attend a liberal arts college, and is considering Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and St. Olaf College in Minnesota. He will be a third-generation Heights High graduate.

Joy Henderson

Joy Henderson is the parent/community liaison for Heights High.

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Volume 7, Issue 11, Posted 10:49 AM, 10.21.2014