4 King Philip Students Recognized For Good Test Scores

WRENTHAM, MA — Four seniors from King Philip Regional High School have been recognized in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Keerthana Senthil Kumar was named semifinalist in the program, and John Beatty, Thomas Civattone and Allison Norton were named commended students.

The program recognizes outstanding performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Test.

Senthil Kumar is one of 16,000 students in the U.S. who qualified as a semifinalist. She is an active member of the Model United Nations and the King Philip Spanish, English and Science national honor societies. She plans to apply to Brown, Tulane, Rice and Northeastern universities to pursue a degree in political science and public health, according to school officials.

Beatty, recognized as one of the commended students in the program, plans to apply to Northeastern University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the University of Massachusetts to pursue a degree in engineering, school officials say. He is an active member of Pride and Passion Marching Band, the King Philip Jazz Band, the Debate Club and Model United Nations. He is also part of his school's Science National Honor Society.

Ciavotte, also named as a commended student in the National Merit Scholarship Program, is an award-winning member of Model United Nations and is an active member of the Debate Club. He is a member of the school's Spanish, Science and English honor societies. He plans to apply to Northeastern University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to pursue a degree in physics, according to school officials.

Norton, has been named a commended student based on her scores on the National Merit Scholarship Test. She is an active member of the French and Science honor societies and the volleyball team. She serves as vice president of the student government. After graduation, she plans to attend Carleton College in Minnesota to study neuroscience.

"I would like to congratulate these four students on their achievements on the PSATs," said Superintendent Paul Zinni. "The test requires a lot of hard work and dedication and this recognition by the National Merit Scholarship Program acknowledges their efforts. These students show exceptional skills and set an excellent example for all King Philip students."