Senior Named National Merit ‘Commended Student’

Story by Janel Haas Ware

At a recent schoolwide chapel, Principal Don Short announced the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSP) named senior Michael Herold a Commended Student, presenting him with a Letter of Commendation from Shenandoah Valley Academy and the NMSP. More than 1.5 million students across the United States entered the 2025 competition by taking the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Herold is one of approximately 34,000 commended students who demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success.

“Those being named commended students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” says a representative of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation.”

Short adds, “We hope and pray this recognition will encourage and affirm Michael as he continues on the path of academic excellence.”