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| 2015 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists (L-R) Benjamin Homer (MHS), Kendall Curtis (MHS), Ryan Roberts (MHS), Grant Wilkie (SHS) |
The term "blue chip" is often used in reference to the quality of investments, stocks, and even athletes. It is used to describe something of high quality and excellent performance. In this case, "blue chip" refers to the four Mansfield ISD students chosen as semifinalists in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Mansfield High School students Kendall Curtis, Benjamin Homer, Ryan Roberts, and Summit High School's Grant Wilkie all earned the prestigious achievement in the area of academic performance. Of the 1.5 million PSAT entrants considered, the National Merit Scholarship Program recognizes approximately 16,000 students as semifinalists qualifying to compete for over $33 million dollars in scholarship awards.
To place their accomplishment in perspective, Benjamin, Kendall, Ryan, and Grant all scored in the top 1.1% of the 1.5 million test takers in the country. MISD Superintendent, Dr. Jim Vaszauskas, considers all of the National Merit Scholar Semifinalists first round draft choices, "Our student semifinalists will be sought after and recruited by colleges and universities just as any blue chip athlete would be."
However, their work is far from over. All of the semifinalists must maintain the level of their academic performance and achieve a qualifying score on the SAT to be considered for selection as a finalist. Congratulations to the four Mansfield ISD National Merit Scholar Semifinalists!