Nov. 26, 2019

Lindbergh High School honored a number of exceptional Lindbergh High School students Nov. 25 during its annual student recognition ceremony.

LHS Principal Dr. Eric Cochran and Honors Coordinator Miranda Gelven recognized five 2020 National Merit Semifinalists, five National Merit Commended Students, 14 Inspirational Teachers, and 16 International Baccalaureate Diploma Recipients. Each National Merit Semifinalist also had the opportunity to honor three inspirational teachers as well.

This year’s National Merit Semifinalists include Benjamin Duchild, Grace Duong, Justine Gacho, Bayley Helfrich and Emma Scherrer. In all, 1.7 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2018 PSAT. These LHS seniors join an elite group of approximately 16,000 students nationwide who rank among the top 1 percent of all program participants.

Lindbergh’s National Merit Commended Students include Sindhu Bala, Karen Guo, Gabriel Haegele, Wooyoung Park and Martyn Seeker. National Merit Commended Students rank among the top 3 percent of all students who took the 2018 PSAT, and join a top tier group of approximately 50,000 students nationwide.

To earn the International Baccalaureate Diploma, students must study and take an exam in six subject areas, write a 4,000 word extended essay, complete the Theory of Knowledge course, and complete 150 hours of CAS, which stands for creativity, activity and service. IB Diploma recipients in the LHS Class of 2019 include Achintya Benegal, Grace Garibaldi, Adin Karahodzic, Zaid Khaja, Peter Korenak, Sophia Lewczuk, Urvashi Mahajan, Gabriel Martinez, Matthew Meyer, Evan Moss, Anna Musich, Aditi Seetharaman, Jack Stork, Josh Sulkin, Zachary To and Anne Watson.