More than 3.5 million high school students took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) last year and three CWA students scored in the top one percent of test takers.

Seniors Iean Drew, Austin Jung and Blake Walsh were named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists after they earned some of the top scores in Washington state.  Nationwide 16,000 students were named semifinalists.  In the South Sound, 18 students received the honor.  No school in the area had more semifinalists this year than Charles Wright.

Drew lives in Port Orchard and has attended CWA since his seventh grade year.  He has participated in cross-country, soccer, improvisational theater, winter plays and exchanges with students in Poland and Japan.  He has also studied sculpture and ceramics.

“In class, Iean is a burst of creative energy,” says his advisor and fifth-year Japanese teacher, Stephanie Glenn.  “His academic success is due to his curiosity and enthusiasm.  He isn’t here for a grade, he’s just enthusiastic about life and learning.”

Jung lives in Gig Harbor and entered CWA as a freshman.  “Austin is more than a good student, he’s a real intellect,” says Kevin Kane, his advisor.  “He learns for the joy of learning.  He’s truly passionate about education and has excelled in every area of study.”

Jung has worked on the school’s literary magazine, was elected class president his junior year, and participated in soccer and Knowledge Bowl.  He has studied painting, drawing and design.  He took the Advanced Placement Spanish exam as a junior, a year earlier than most students, and scored a perfect 5.  He also independently studied Latin classics, a real passion for him, and passed that AP exam.  He was named an AP Scholar at the end of his junior year after earning a 3 or better on at least five AP tests.

“He has a wicked sense of humor, with a touch of sarcasm, and he is genuinely respected and admired by his classmates for his unique gifts,” adds Kane.

Walsh lives in Federal Way also became a Tarrier in seventh grade.  He lived with a host family in Japan the summer after his sophomore year and studied fifth-year Japanese as a junior.  He had studied instrumental music and photography and is a member of the state-championship Knowledge Bowl team.  He also plays hockey for one of the region’s top elite youth teams.

“Blake is the quintessential scholar,” says his advisor, Gil Le Francois.  “He is fascinated by ideas and has the work ethic to follow up on those interests.”

Drew, Jung and Walsh will now be considered for 8,200 National Merit Scholarships, worth a total of $36 million.  Scholarships are awarded based on academic record, the recommendation of the student’s high school principal and his or her SAT scores.

On Wednesday, September 30, CWA will announce the names of the Charles Wright students who scored in the top five percent (34,000 nationwide) on the PSAT/NMSQT and earned recognition as “commended” scholars.  These students will be honored at a school assembly the following week.  Look for that news here on the blog too.

The PSAT/NMSQT, cosponsored by the College Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, is an important step in the college application process.  Tests results and their accompanying analysis are valuable tools that can help students prepare for the SAT, the entrance exam required to apply to most colleges in the country.