Idaho’s merit semifinalists announced

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of Idaho seniors selected as semifinalists in the annual National Merit Scholarship Program that honors the academic prowess of thousands of students across the country. 

Petra Kennedy, a Moscow High School senior who’s among Idaho’s semifinalists, said, “My drive for excellence comes from my family. I’m interested in academics because my mom and dad instilled a sense of curiosity and determination in me early on … but past that, I’ve had some very inspirational teachers.”

Petra Kennedy

Her classmate, Max Pieper, 17, is motivated to succeed because he truly enjoys learning about different topics and “making connections between them.” With plans to attend the Naval Academy, Pieper has a keen interest in foreign relations, like the tension between Taiwan and China. 

“I’ve always been interested in … how different factors can influence countries’ actions. Seeing the political maneuvering and how the economics of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry ties into it is really fascinating to me,” Pieper said.

The nationwide pool of semifinalists represents less than one percent of all U.S. high school seniors. The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors. The program selected 100 Idaho students.

Thirty-four percent of the state’s total number of semifinalists are from the Boise School District. “Congratulations to the students who have earned recognition as a national semifinalist and honored for their academic ability,” said Coby Dennis, Boise School District superintendent.

Max Pieper

The following six high schools boasted the highest number of semifinalists: Boise High School, 16; Timberline High School, 15; Renaissance High School, 8; Moscow High School, 5; Cole Valley Christian High School, 4; Idaho Falls High School, 4; Bishop Kelly High School, 4.

Seventeen-year-old Kieran Long said, “I don’t really know where my ‘drive for excellence’ comes from. My parents encouraged me to do well in school, but that doesn’t cover everything. I try to do well in school simply because I know I can, and it feels disappointing to not do as well as I know I can.”

The scholarship program is an annual academic competition among high school students for recognition and college scholarships. Millions of students vie for admission to the program and scholarships worth nearly $28 million. As they traverse the program, students are awarded status levels: commended, semifinalist, finalist and finally merit scholars. Scholarship winners are announced in the spring.

To become a finalist, semifinalists must submit a detailed scholarship application that includes an academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. 

Kieran Long

Long hasn’t selected a specific academic path because he enjoys every subject. “I want to use college to figure out what I am truly interested in and what I want to do for the rest of my life,” he said.

Mason Bledsoe plans to study aerospace engineering with a focus on propulsion technology. “My drive for excellence mostly comes from my interests. I just happen to be really fascinated by topics that are covered in school.”

2024 Idaho National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalists 

BOISE HIGH SCHOOL

Taelyn J. Baiza

Sophia Y. Chen

Adriana M. Curtis 

Reece J. Deidrick

Fiona A. Fleisher 

Lauren E. Gee

Noe H. Kemper

Avery Lott

Lauren E. Olsen

Tyson E. Russell

Keyton S. Smith

Nicholas Thomas

Cory Thomas-Liddle

James Welcker 

Megan Wolin

Oliver T. Wroten

CAPITAL HIGH SCHOOL

Sophia Bourgeau

Anthony Donegan

Luke O. McKinney

CENTENNIAL HIGH SCHOOL

Christopher Dunkley

HOMESCHOOL

Zelia M. Vidales

Ellyn L. Tran 

BISHOP KELLY HIGH SCHOOL

Wesley B. Barton

Ryan A. Buckner

Isaac V. Pettyjohn

Hoyoon Song

RIVERSTONE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Fiona Van De Graaff

TIMBERLINE HIGH SCHOOL

Ibrahim Ahmad

Garrett T. Eppich

Isaac Estrada

Austin J. Giffen

Jaya Kasthuri

Bhavya Kistupati

Hayoon Lee

Elena Li

Nathan X. Li

Stephanie Liu

Margaret McCormick

Kahlil Monje

Alessandra Truax

Forrest Zeng

Kevin Zhu

COEUR D’ALENE CHARTER ACADEMY

Henry DePew

Abigail Moehring

COEUR D’ALENE HIGH SCHOOL

Jameson J. Dale

Andrew C. Hubbard

Isabella O. Le

EAGLE HIGH SCHOOL

Annalise DeMange

Nikita Didenko

Tristan Walker

WOOD RIVER HIGH SCHOOL

Lucas A. Smith

IDAHO FALLS HIGH SCHOOL

Victor S. Huang 

Alexander B. Kingma

Grace E. Madsen

Katelyn G. Traynor

THUNDER RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL

Samuel C. Spencer

KIMBERLY HIGH SCHOOL

Mallory Otto

KUNA HIGH SCHOOL

James M. Leckie 

MCCALL-DONNELLY HIGH SCHOOL

George Speirs

AMBROSE SCHOOL

Krystin A. Collingwood

COLE VALLEY CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL

Micah P. Hatfield

Rinoa J. Oliver

Jacob Parnell

Brandon M. Vander Stelt

MERIDIAN MEDICAL ARTS CHARTER

Bekir Swidan

MERIDIAN TECHNICAL CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL

Joshua Richmond

MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL

Gavin S. Keller

OWYHEE HIGH SCHOOL

Micah Palin

RENAISSANCE HIGH SCHOOL

Cameron Z. Beaver

Hannah Beaver

Colman Lee

Brooklyn D. Lewis

Lucy Porter

Logan S. Ray

Hannah Scoville

Johnathan Van Vliet

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL

Rachel Roberts

MOSCOW HIGH SCHOOL

Mason Bledsoe

Petra Kennedy

Kieran Long

Max Pieper

Dylan Taylor

MOUNTAIN HOME HIGH SCHOOL

Gareth P. Brantley

SKYVIEW HIGH SCHOOL

Melissa Eyer

CENTURY HIGH SCHOOL

Josh T. Agres

Evelyn R. Brittin

HIGHLAND HIGH SCHOOL

Ellie G. Burnside

Elise L. Wood

POCATELLO HIGH SCHOOL

Elijah C. Buchanan

Clare M. Earnest

Caleb A. Jensen

CLASSICAL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

Michael P. Bell

MADISON HIGH SCHOOL

Camilla J. Cullimore

Casey Donahoo

Elena M. Pack

SANDPOINT HIGH SCHOOL

Keane J. Haesle

TWIN FALLS HIGH SCHOOL

Benjamin T. Rands

Zachariah L. Swensen

Mason B. Ward

XAVIER CHARTER SCHOOL

Anna Aiello

Darren Svan

Darren Svan

Reporter Darren Svan is based in North Idaho and has a background in both journalism and education. Prior to working for military schools at overseas installations, he was news editor at several publications in Wyoming and Colorado. You can send news tips to [email protected].

Get EdNews in your inbox

Weekly round up every Friday