Press photo by Jenn RagoBASD School Board and administrators recently recognized the accomplishments of three high school seniors as National Merit Scholars. This is an annual, nationwide scholarship competition for high school students. From left, district STEM Supervisor Rick Amato, National Merit Finalist Levi Carolan, Commended student Stephenie Zheng, and Supt. Dr. Jack Silva. Sofia Dubrovskayais also a Commended student. The National Merit Program is an academic scholarship competition for students planning to further their education. The program is managed by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, a privately funded not-for-profit organization. Each year, about 1.6 million students from around 22,000 high schools enter the competition. Program entrants are evaluated for their critical reading skills, problem-solving abilities in mathematics, and writing skills as seen by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) usually in 11th grade.