Eight New Albany seniors named National Merit semifinalists

As the principal of New Albany High School, I am reminded daily of the extraordinary talents of our students. We pride ourselves on their achievement and look for opportunities to celebrate it all year round.

Our district's purpose - to create a culture of accountability that produces the best academic and developmental outcomes for every student - is also central to our teaching and staff support.

We want the community to celebrate the many achievements of our students, and in October we are recognizing the academic achievements of our class of 2022 National Merit Scholars. These eight semi-finalists have worked hard to achieve this level of performance and we wish them continued success on their way to becoming finalists.

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Last month, officials from the National Merit Scholarship Corp. known the names of approximately 16,000 semi-finalists (the top 1%) of the 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These academically gifted high school graduates will have the opportunity to compete for around 7,500 scholarships valued at nearly $ 30 million next spring. The top 3% to 4% are recognized as commendable scientists.

The eight New Albany High School semi-finalists represent a wide range of academic and extracurricular activities, community service, and other fields.

Sydney Arlin, a lifelong student in New Albany-Plain Local Schools, is interested in majoring in biology and attending medical school. Her colleges include Ohio State University, Stanford University, the University of Washington, Tufts University, and Vanderbilt University. She is the captain of the high school volleyball team and plays for the Greater Columbus Volleyball Club. Arlin served in the Key Club and is a member of the Student Council.

"I want to thank all of the high school teachers for challenging me to be the best student I can be," said Arlin.

Brigitte Bell started in NA-PLS in fifth grade.

"It's an honor and exciting to see such a tangible result from my focus on academics over the past few years," said Bell.

She plans to study environmental science / engineering and is considering Ohio State, Northwestern University, Brown University, and Case Western Reserve University. At NAHS, Bell is a member of the National Honor Society and a student leader in the Science Olympics, as well as a member of the jazz band, squad leader in marching band and co-president of the Environmental Club.

Abe Canowitz is a lifelong participant in NA-PLS. His two best colleges are the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Cincinnati. Canowitz plans to study either biology or chemistry and then pursue a career in medicine. He is on the cross country and track and field teams and is a member of the NHS.

"I want to thank my parents and all of my teachers for pushing and encouraging me," Canowitz said.

Varun Chitiveli has been attending our schools for seven years. He is considering Ohio State, Purdue University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Chitiveli plans to study aerospace engineering at college and hopes to eventually work in the aerospace industry. He is the team captain of the Digital Eagles (High School Robotics).

“I would particularly like to thank my parents for always having my back free. Without your relentless support, I wouldn't be where I am today, ”said Chitiveli.

Aditya Chittar has been in the school district since preschool. He is considering Ohio State, Purdue, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Georgia Institute of Technology. He will study aerospace engineering. Chittari has been intensively involved with robotics since fourth grade.

“I want to thank the Academy, my family, and the wonderful New Albany teachers and staff who have made a huge difference to me. My high school experience would be very different if I didn't have your wonderful support, ”said Chitari.

Alex handcraft is a lifelong district participant.

"I am grateful to be recognized with my colleagues at NAHS and for the opportunities that recognition offers," said Handwork.

He is considering attending a major university in the Midwest with an innovative engineering program, research opportunities, and collaborative project teams. Handwork is a four year old member of the cross country team and a three year old member of the athletics team. He is also a member of the NHS and is involved in the Key Club.

Connor McGartland has been attending our schools for seven years.

"It is a great opportunity to be selected as a semi-finalist and I look forward to pursuing it," said McGartland.

He is considering the University of Southern California with a major in engineering or computer science. McGartland is involved with the NHS, cross country, and athletics.

William Slabodkin is a lifelong district participant. He is considering Reed College, Washington State University, and Willamette University with a major that would combine two of his favorite subjects: math and chemistry. Slabodkin is part of the In the Know Trivia team as well as the chamber orchestra and the New Student Network.

"I want to thank my teachers, friends, and family for supporting me and helping me achieve this achievement," said Slabodkin.

In addition to these eight semi-finalists, NAHS also has 10 recommended scholarship holders: Oliver Bieser, Ritam Biswas, AJ Denny, Durshil Doshi, Navya Guduri, Ryan Liu, Olivia Pace, Juhi Shukla, Jack Spangenberg, and Helen Wang. Read more at napls.us/natmerit. Here, too, we celebrate these versatile scholars and wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

Ken Kraemer is the director of New Albany High School.

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