Heights High seniors earn National Merit honors

Heights High 2025 National Merit honorees William Larkin, Remy Bourbeau, and August Szpak. [courtesy Diana Drushel]

Heights High seniors Remy Bourbeau and August Szpak have been named National Merit Scholars in the 2025 competition, and, as semifinalists, have the opportunity to advance to the finalist level and qualify for National Merit Scholarships. William Larkin was named a 2025 Commended Student, placing among the top 5 percent of the students who entered.

Nationally, 16,000 semifinalists were recognized, representing less than 1 percent of the U.S. high school seniors, and there were 34,000 commended students. More than 1.3 million students entered the National Merit Scholarship qualifying competition by taking the PSAT test in the fall of their junior year.

Bourbeau is currently taking Advanced Placement (AP) AB Calculus, Computer Science and Physics, and College Credit Plus (CCP) College Composition. He is captain of the Boys Cross Country and Outdoor Track teams and a member and unofficial leader of the Swim team. Bourbeau is also part of the Heights High Stage Crew, plays violin in the Heights High Symphony, and has been a team captain for the Robotics Club. He described the four engineering courses he has taken as part of the Project Lead the Way Career Technical Education program as “exceptionally enjoyable.” He commented, “I liked the project-based and fairly self-driven curriculum as well as the direct experience with useful equipment and with problem-solving skills.” After graduation, he plans to study engineering in college.

Szpak is enjoying the AP Statistics course he is currently taking, and said it has helped him “discover that it is a very interesting discipline of math.” He is also taking AP Micro and Macro Economics and Physics, CCP Introduction to American Studies, and CCP College Composition. The AP Computer Science class he took his junior year stood out because it is a topic that interests him and aligns with his plans for college and beyond. Szpak is currently a member of the Academic Challenge team and previously participated in the Robotics Club, and was a volunteer at a preschool summer camp for three summers. Szpak plans to major in computer science in college.

Larkin is currently taking AP AB Calculus, Biology, Environmental Science, Micro and Macro Economics, and Statistics. The AP U.S. History class he took his sophomore year made an immense impact on how he sees his own place in history. “APUSH allowed me to place myself in the context of historical movements promoting justice and change—an ability that is vital to truly affect change in the world,” he said. The CCP Urban Studies course he took at Tri-C has helped him to pursue his interest in city planning and realize "how social and economic justice can be achieved through infrastructure.” Larkin is a four-year member of the Baseball team, part of Heights High’s Environmental Committee, and is secretary for the high school’s National Honor Society. He is interested in studying political science and government in college.