TAUNTON — Superintendent John Cabral and Principal Scott Holcomb are pleased to announce that Taunton High School senior Samuel Schumacher has been named a National Merit Scholarship Finalist.
The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition that recognizes students for their outstanding performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
Schumacher is among 15,000 students in the U.S. who qualified as a 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program Finalist. Typically, over 1.5 million students in about 21,000 high schools enter the National Merit Scholarship Program each year.
“It is quite the honor to be named as a National Merit Scholarship Program Finalist as those who receive this recognition are in the top 1% of all students nationwide who completed the PSAT,” Principal Holcomb said. “We are all extremely proud of Sam for this achievement and ask that everyone join us in congratulating him.”
As a Finalist, Schumacher’s academic record, PSAT/NMSQT Selection Index score, written recommendations, information about his extra-curricular activities and leadership, and essay will be taken into consideration to determine if he will receive a Merit Scholarship award. Approximately 7,500 finalists will be selected to receive a National Merit Scholarship and earn the Merit Scholar title.
Schumacher, son of Candice and Richard Schumacher, has continuously excelled in his academics and extracurriculars while a student at Taunton High School. He received the National School Development Council’s Award for Academic Growth and Student Leadership in Learning and is also a College Board AP Scholar.
Schumacher has achieved numerous academic awards, including SkillsUSA District Conference Silver Medal in Medical Math, National Latin Exam Gold Summa Cum Laude Award and first place at the Massachusetts Region III Science Fair. He is also a Southeastern Massachusetts Conference Mathematics League All-Star, president of the Programming Club and a tutor and curricular leader with Wave Learning Festival.
Schumacher has been accepted into several highly selective colleges and is in the process of deciding where to attend in the fall. He hopes to major in Computer Science in college while minoring in Mathematics.
“I’ve known Sam for the past five years as his guidance counselor and during that time he has continued to impress, not only me, but all faculty, staff and students he encounters at Taunton High,” guidance counselor Gregory Gay said. “Samuel is a very intelligent, hard-working and studious young man who continues to challenge himself academically and meets each challenge with success. He’s a rare gem and Taunton High will greatly miss him after graduation.”
Most recently, Schumacher won Gold Medal in Medical Math at the recent SkillsUSA District Competition.
Additional information about the program and available scholarships can be found here.
About National Merit Scholarship Corporation
Since its founding, NMSC has recognized over 3.3 million students and provided some 449,000 scholarships worth over $1.8 billion. The honors awarded by NMSC to exceptionally able students are viewed as definitive marks of excellence. Recipients of Merit Scholarship® awards, Achievement Scholarship® awards, and corporate-sponsored Special Scholarships have increased the nation’s respect for intellectual accomplishments and have contributed significantly to its talent pool of future leaders.
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