Harrison Seniors Finalists for Merit Scholarship

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Harrison High School seniors Jenna Clemens and Emma Adler have advanced to the final round of the National Merit Scholarship program. 

The National Merit Scholarship program is an academic competition that began in 1955. Over 1.5 million high students enter the National Merit program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National MeritScholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) each year.

Back in September, roughly 50,000 of the initial applicants were notified that their high test scores had qualified them as either a Commended Studentor a Semi Finalist in the program. In addition to Clemens and Adler, seniors Cayla Pettinato, Madison Pollack, Jacob Seidman and Lily Stokoe were notified last fall that they had been recognized by the National Merit organization.

As Semifinalists, Clemens and Adler were two of the 16,000 students from across the country to advance in this competition. According to the NMSC, academically talented students from all parts ofthe United States are designated on a state representational basis. HHS’ two students were among the highest scoring students in the state of New York. Both Clemens and Adler advanced to the final round.

Each will graduate Summa Cum Laude in June, a Harrison High School distinction that recognizes students who have achieved a grade point average of 98.0 or higher through their high school career. In addition to their advanced academic work, the two have held a variety of leadership positions and been involved in numerous extracurricular activities.

Clemens has been a drum major for the award winning HHS Marching Band, leading her peers at events such as the Stamford Balloon Parade, the NYC St. Patrick’s Day parade and the National Heritage Music Festival in Chicago.

She has also performed at the Berklee Music Festival as both a member and soloist of the Jazz Band ensemble and performed with the mostly professional orchestra in this past year’s HHS production of 42nd Street. Her musicality has transcended into the HHS Chorus, Jazz Singers and the Madrigal Singers at the annual Renaissance Festival.

Clemens is currently the Food Editor for The Husky Herald and a member of the Moody’s Math Challenge team. She was inducted into the National Foreign Language Honor Society for Spanish and won the University of Pennsylvania book award last year.

Adler has been the Editor-in Chief of the award winning school newspaper, The Husky Herald, and been the captain of the academic quiz team that is currently competing on MSG Varsity’s The Challenge. She recently co-directed the complex spring play “The Children’s Hour” and performed with the HHS Marching Band and Chorus at the National Heritage Music Festival in Chicago a few weekends ago.

She has been inducted into the National Foreign Language Honor Society in both Italian and Latin and was named the Columbia University Book Award winner last year. Adler will be attending Harvard University in the fall.