School announces all five National Merit semifinalists students are finaliists for the honor

NEWS RELEASE: Tammy Rosenfeldt ▪ Marketing Communications Associate

SYMMES TOWNSHIP, OH (February 20, 2021) – Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy announced all five of their National Merit semifinalists have advanced to National Merit Finalist standing.

l-r, Matthew Onadeko (of Mason), Adam Jutt (Mason), Megan Stotz (Mason), Scott Burk and Christopher Swedes of Loveland are 5 National Merit Scholars at CHCA (Provided)

eniors Scott Burk (of Loveland), Adam Jutt (of Mason), Matthew Onadeko (of Mason), Megan Stotz (of Mason), and Christopher Swedes (of Loveland) all received notification that they are advancing to the final round of the competition.

“We are so proud to announce these five students as National Merit Finalists,” said CHCA Upper School Principal Dr. Dean Nicholas. “Besides being exceptional students, each of them also brings other outstanding gifts to our school community. They exemplify our desire to see students learn, lead, and serve on campus, in the community, and around the world.”

According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), all winners of Merit Scholarship® awards (Merit Scholar® designees) are chosen from the Finalist group, based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments–without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference. A variety of information is available for NMSC selectors to evaluate: the Finalist’s academic record, information about the school’s curricula and grading system, two sets of test scores, the high school official’s written recommendation, information about the student’s activities and leadership, and the Finalist’s own essay.

The process now begins for selecting 7,500 Merit Scholarship winners from the group of more than 15,000 finalists. In March, NMSC will begin mailing scholarship offers to winners at their home addresses and confidential notices to their high school principals. Students will receive a letter at their home informing them that they have become Finalists, and they will be recognized at CHCA’s Diaspeiro Baccalaureate Service the evening of May 28th, just prior to graduation.

All of the Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy extends congratulations to these students for their amazing accomplishment!