Bishop Chatard High School is proud to announce that seniors Simon Didat and Steven Good have been named National Merit Finalists in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program. Janie Gleaves has been named as a National Merit Commended Student.
Simon, Steven and Janie each earned this honor as a result of their scores achieved on the PSAT test taken during their junior year at Bishop Chatard. Students achieve the finalist honor by scoring in the top 1% of all students nationwide who took the PSAT.
Simon, a member of St. Pius X Parish, hopes to pursue a career in engineering and law, and is applying to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Purdue University. Outside of the classroom, Simon runs cross country and is active in Bishop Chatard’s Theatre and Comedy Sportz programs, along with the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Boy Scouts and Student Ambassadors.
Steven, a member of St. Matthew Parish, plans to pursue a career in mathematics or computer science and is applying to the University of Notre Dame. Steven is an Eagle Scout and a member of the school’s cross country, volleyball and bowling teams. He is involved in the Bishop Chatard Theatre sound crew, has performed in One-Act Plays and is a playwright for the New Play Festival.
Both advise taking the SAT test prior to sitting for the PSAT during junior year. “The most important piece of advice I can give for the PSAT,” Simon said, “is to try your hardest each time you take it.” Online test prep or SAT prep classes also provide valuable practice.
“The questions and format are almost identical (PSAT to the SAT), and just practicing being in the standardized testing environment can help,” Steven added.