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Marion Schools recognizes its National Merit semifinalists

By JIM BISSETT 2 min read
Submitted Logan Miller, center, is one of four students in Marion County Schools and among just 16,000 across the U.S. to be named a National Merit semifinalist this year. Superintendent Donna Heston recognized him and the district's other scholars named at Monday's Board of Education meeting.

FAIRMONT - Four students from Marion County Schools are in elite academic company these days, and the quartet took up a sizable part of the proceedings during the district's Board of Education meeting this week.

"This is an honor," Superintendent Donna Heston said, as she introduced the National Merit semifinalists to the board and audience gathered for Monday's session.

"They represent our district well," the administrator said of the achievements of East Fairmont High's Ashleigh Waldron, Logan Miller of Fairmont Senior and Keishaun Stiltner and Judah Overstreet, both from North Marion High.

"They represent their teachers well, and their families and communities well."

For the first time in recent years, Heston said, the academic honorees came from the classrooms of all three public high schools in the county.

"It's rare to have a National Merit finalist, period," Heston continued.

"So, to have four with each of our high schools represented makes for a wonderful celebration tonight."

Miller, who plans on medical school and a career as a radiologist, thanked his science and pre-Calculus instructors for smoothing his path to the qualifying exam.

The achieving Marion Countians are among 76 semifinalists from across the Mountain State named and just 16,000 nationwide.

Some 6,700 scholarships will be awarded in 2027, totaling $24 million in the offering.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is a product of its times.

Education pundits came up with the scholarship in the early days of the Cold War in 1955, over concerns that the U.S. was lagging intellectually in the world.

Its current goals, the Illinois-based organization said, remain the same today as they were 71 years ago.

And that's to encourage and help students develop their full academic and professional potential.

More than 350,000 have earned the National Merit designation since that first year.

Past scholars include internet entrepreneur Bill Gates, blues guitarist Elvin Bishop and filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan.

Starting at /week.