Athens Academy is pleased to announce that twelve members of the Class of 2027 have been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation: five students as Semifinalists and seven as Commended Students.

Congratulations to Sumit Alexander, Nicholas Chester, Milo Gabara, Chloe McPherson-Kim, and Noam Thrift, who have been named Semifinalists by the National Merit Scholarship

Program. As Semifinalists, these five students represent the top 1-2% of the highest scoring seniors across the country. They will continue in the competition for National Merit scholarships, which will be announced in the spring.

Of the 920 private schools in the state of Georgia, Athens Academy is proud to have the third largest number of National Merit Semifinalists recognized this year (tied with Pace Academy and Woodward Academy). Athens Academy is also the only private school in the Athens area to have National Merit Semifinalists.

In addition, seven seniors have been recognized as National Merit Commended Students, representing the top 3-4% of the highest scorers across the country. Congratulations to Evangeline Bina, Sophia Coppins, Emma-Jane Kirk, Beckett Newland, Eva Saraf, Nicholas Song, and Ben Warner.

“We are incredibly proud of these twelve students and all they have accomplished,” said Head of School Jeff Miles. “This recognition reflects not only their academic talent, but also the hard work and determination they have shown throughout their years at Athens Academy. They are truly some of our best and brightest, and it is a joy to see them recognized for something they have worked so hard to achieve.”

The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). Of the 1.5 million entrants, some 50,000 with the highest PSAT/NMSQT® Selection Index scores (critical reading + mathematics + writing skills scores) qualify for recognition in the National Merit® Scholarship Program.

Athens Academy is an independent, co-educational school for students in K3 through 12th grade, located on a beautiful 152-acre campus in Northeast Georgia. Now in its 60th year, Athens Academy pursues its mission of “excellence with honor” through academics, athletics, fine arts, and service and leadership. Ranked the #1 private school in Athens, #7 private school in the state of Georgia (out of 400+ schools), and #1 private school in North Georgia (Niche.com).

For more information, please contact Kelley Cuneo, communications director, at [email protected] or 706-433-2410.