Sam Hopkins, a senior at Model High School, has been named a Commended Student in the 2009 National Merit Scholarship Program.  A letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program, will be presented by Dr. Glenn White, principal of Model High, to this scholastically talented senior.

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise.  Although Sam Hopkins will not continue in the 2009 competition for National Merit Scholarships, as a Commended Student he placed among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2009 competition when taking the 2007 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

According to a release from the NMSC, “Recognition of academically talented students and the key role played by schools in their development is essential to the pursuit of educational excellence in our nation.”  The release statement added, “The young people named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding academic potential by their strong performance in this highly competitive program.”