Two Woodlands Academy seniors receive National Merit commendation

In addition to a recently announced semifinalist, two more Woodlands Academy of the Sacred students have distinguished themselves in the current National Merit Scholarship competition. School officials recently were informed that seniors Avery Drehkoff and Yue Pan are among the approximately 34,000 high school seniors nationwide being recognized for exceptional academic promise demonstrated by their performance on a qualifying test.

Drehkoff and Pan each received a Letter of Commendation from Woodlands and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program. While included among the top scorers, commended students do not continue in the National Merit Scholarship awards competition, although they may be eligible for special scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses.

According to NMSC, these students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments and their schools' critical role in their academic development is vital to advancing educational excellence in the U.S.

“Woodlands Academy is proud to share in commending Avery Drehkoff and Yue Pan, who clearly have demonstrated such outstanding academic success,” said Associate Head of School for Academics Rocco Gargiulo. “We hope this recognition will inspire them to continue to thrive and pursue academic excellence.”

A couple of weeks earlier, Woodlands Academy senior Claire Smylie was named among the less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors achieving semifinalist status in the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Semifinalists continue in the competition for National Merit scholarships to be awarded next spring.

Woodlands Academy is a Catholic, independent, day-and-boarding, college-preparatory school for young women of all faiths, grades 9-12, that promotes engaging academics, artistic and athletic excellence, strong faith and social responsibility. It is part of a worldwide network of more than 150 Sacred Heart schools in 41 countries on six continents. For the eighth year in a row, Woodlands has just been named the Best All-girls High School in Illinois by Niche, an independent research company. Woodlands Academy also received an overall grade of “A+” from Niche for the sixth consecutive year.