Covington Latin School senior Joey Sodergren has been named a 2020 National Merit Semifinalist.
Approximately 16,000 high school seniors nationwide are recognized as Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of high school seniors in the United States.
Joey Sondergren
These individuals are selected as Semifinalists based on their score on the 2018 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
They are the top-scoring students in each state and will have the opportunity to continue in the National Merit Scholarship Program to compete for more than $32 million in scholarships that will be awarded in the spring.
Joey’s recognition as a Semifinalist represents the 14th year in a row that Covington Latin has had students reach the Commended or Semifinalist level, with Semifinalists in 12 of those 14 years.
“Joey is an excellent student and an extremely conscientious young man,” said Joseph Gressock, Headmaster of Covington Latin School. “He and his family truly deserve the recognition and we wish him the best throughout the rest of the National Merit process.”
Joey is the son of Andrew and Elanor Sodergren of Cincinnati, Ohio.
CovCath has two semi-finalists, two perfect ACT scores
Covington Catholic announces two seniors have been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as semi-finalists in the 65th annual National Merit® Scholarship Program: Joseph Kiely and Christopher Stegman.
Of roughly 1.5 million juniors in more than 21,000 high schools across the country entered the 2020 program by taking the PSAT/NMSQT Qualifying Test last fall, only 16,000, less than 1%, are named National Merit Semifinalists, based on their scores on this exam.
These academically talented students are now eligible to seek Finalist standing.
Joseph Kiely is the son of Christopher and Laura Kiely. He is a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish.
Christopher Stegman is the son of Gary and Traci Stegman. He is a member of Blessed Sacrament Parish.
In addition, two students have also earned the highest possible composite score of 36 (a “perfect” score) on the ACT: Peter Maier and Pete Williams.
Peter Maier is a 12th grader and the son of Christopher and Natalie Maier. He is a member of St. Agnes Parish.
Pete Williams is an 11th grader and the son of Matt and Jeanette Williams. He is a member of St. Joseph Parish in Cold Spring.
St. Henry’s Ann Maloney gets TMU award
St. Henry District High School Ann Maloney has received the Thomas More University Diocesan Excellence in Teaching Award (TMU-DETA). This prestigious award recognizes quality secondary education teaching in Catholic schools within the Diocese of Covington.
Teacher Ann Maloney with her students
Maloney teaches biology, human anatomy & physiology, and AP biology. She is also the science department chair, moderator of the Health Care Careers Club, and coordinator of the New Teacher Mentoring Program.
Maloney is a fantastic teacher who has an innate ability to nurture each student both academically and emotionally. She consistently goes above and beyond, always setting high expectations and showing respect for every student. Reciprocally, students strive to meet her expectations with respect and admiration.
“It is a blessing to receive such an honor from Thomas More University,” said Mrs. Maloney. “Teaching has been my lifelong passion and I’ve been very fortunate to collaborate with amazing students and faculty at St. Henry.”
“Mrs. Maloney has a God-given ability to reach her students at an academic level while at the same time building mutually respectful relationships. That is something special,” said Mr. David Otte, principal at SHDHS.
