Three DCHS students named National Merit finalists
Matthew Dunlay, Nathan Goins and Sally Tidwell took the Pre-SAT and did extremely well: All three Daviess County High School seniors were in the top 1% of scorers of all students who took the PSAT in the state.
Earlier this week, the students learned they had been selected as finalists to be National Merit Scholars.
Goins, Tidwell and Dunlay join Owensboro High School senior Landon Block as National Merit finalists.
Becoming a National Merit Finalist is a process that begins when students take the PSAT. According to the National Merit website, 1.3 million students took the PSAT: Of those, only 16,000 high-scorers were named semifinalists.
Most of the semifinalists move on to become finalists, but from there, the group will be narrowed to 6,870 Merit Scholarship designees.
The students hadn't been officially notified by letter as of Friday afternoon, but DCPS officials were notified earlier in the week. Goins said although he knew the finalists announcements were imminent, he didn't know until his mother called after seeing it on the school district's social media page.
Dunlay brushed up on his punctuation, but otherwise felt ready for the test, which is about 50% reading and writing and 50% mathematics.
'I've always been really good at math,' Dunlay said.
Goins said he didn't do much prep work for the test.
'I know I had a study book, but I don't know if I even used it,' Goins said. 'I might have flipped the pages the night before.'
Tidwell said in an email she was excited to learn she was a National Merit finalist and said: 'I'm absolutely honored, and very excited, to have made it this far.
'Not many students get this opportunity or this kind of recognition, so I'm incredibly grateful for it.'
Dunlay said his family was also pleased by the announcement.
'My dad gave me a high five,' he said.
James Bryant, school counselor at DCHS, said the school is proud of the students' accomplishments.
The students have 'top of the line great scores, but so is (the students') character,' Bryant said.
'Being named a semifinalist and then a finalist is very excellent in applying for opportunities that are out there,' Bryant said. 'It just strengthens their portfolio.'
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