Two North Hills Seniors Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

The following information was provided by North Hills School District Communications Coordinator Amanda Hartle.

North Hills High School seniors Anthony Sciulli and Nathan Spear have been chosen as 2014 National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalists.

Sciulli and Spear represent two of the 16,000 students selected for the nationwide honor. A total of 15,000 seniors will be announced as National Merit Scholarship finalists in February and will have an opportunity to compete for one of 8,300 National Merit Scholarships.

Nationwide, semifinalists represent less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors, and their ranks include the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

Throughout his high school career, Sciulli has been active in National Honor Society, various North Hills instrumental ensembles, the Knowledge Master Open academic competition, Spanish Club and Student Council. He plays on the soccer team captain and is a letter winner on the volleyball team. Outside of school, Sciulli volunteers as a youth soccer coach and serves as a referee for the North Hills Soccer Club.

Spear participates in National Honor Society, Westinghouse Honors Science Institute, the Knowledge Master Open academic competition and Drama Club musicals and plays. He is a member of the North Hills Fighting Indians Marching Band as well as various other instrumental ensembles including jazz band. He is active in the North Hills Singers and the symphonic choir and has represented North Hills at the PMEA District Choral Festival, where he also qualified for the PMEA Regional Choral Festival. He is a two-year letter winner on the volleyball team and has been named an AP Scholar with Distinction. In his free time, he volunteers for World Vision and works at Panera Bread.

The National Merit 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 – a test which serves as an initial screening of approximately 1.5 million juniors in 22,000 high schools each year – and by meeting published program entry/participation requirements.

National Merit Scholarship semifinalists account for one-third of the exam’s 50,000 high-scorers.

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