Severna Park High School's National Merit finalists credit their teachers, parents and school administrators. They even credit block scheduling and their school's wide selection of AP classes.
But Severna Park High School teacher Richard Haas thinks the credit for their success belongs elsewhere - with the nine students themselves.
"They're naturally smart to begin with. All they needed was a little push," said Haas, who helped prepare the students to take the PSAT, the qualifying test for the National Merit competition, in their junior year.
This year's group of nine finalists is the most the school has had in at least five years.
"In the wine industry, you have a vintage year. This was a very good year," Haas said. "It was a bumper crop, absolutely."
Interim schools Superintendent Nancy M. Mann said in a statement: "For one school to have nine finalists this year is just an example of the students, faculty and staff making achievement a priority."
The National Merit Scholarship Program was founded in 1955 to recognize achievement and offer scholarships, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corp., the nonprofit that runs the program. To be recognized, students must take the PSAT; the top-scoring 1 percent become semifinalists. The corporation also runs the National Achievement Scholarship Program, an additional contest for black students based on PSAT results.
To choose National Merit finalists, the corporation looks at each student's academic record, SAT scores and an application that includes an essay and list of extracurricular activities. About 15,000 students nationally are selected as finalists, according to the corporation, and from that group, 8,200 National Merit Scholars - those who receive scholarships through the competition - will be chosen.
But even if the Severna Park students don't win those particular scholarships, they said they've already seen benefits to the recognition.
Ethan Vidal, 18, of Millersville said he first was looking at Amherst College for football, and wasn't sure he'd get accepted. But when the all-county linebacker went to the Amherst, Mass., school for a visit and mentioned that he was a National Merit semifinalist, the school was doubly impressed, he said. Vidal, who became a finalist, has committed to go there next fall.
"I know it's helped," said Varun Maheshwari, 17, of Millersville. "It's the first thing interviewers ask about." Maheshwari had an interview with recruiters from Princeton yesterday.
