Five Mt. Lebanon High School seniors are being recognized among the nation’s highest-achieving high school students after being named semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program.
The five students — Matthew Burton, Joseph Curran, Eve Magleby-Lambert, Hannah Markowitz and Allie Miller — are among approximately 16,000 students nationwide selected as National Merit semifinalists this year. The distinction is based on students’ performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), taken during their junior year.
For Miller, the recognition came as a welcome surprise.
“My guidance counselor told me when I was in class,” Miller said. “I was so excited to find out that I had been named a semifinalist.”
While the National Merit recognition highlights academic achievement, Miller’s experience at Mt. Lebanon High School reflects the well-rounded approach that Principal Joel Thompson said is characteristic of many of the school’s highest-achieving students.
Miller said she particularly enjoys math, physics, business and English. She likes the challenge of working through difficult problems but also enjoys reading and classroom discussions.
Outside the classroom, Miller is a member of the Mt. Lebanon field hockey team and participates in Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), DECA and Mini-THON, a student-led fundraising event supporting pediatric cancer care and research. She also plays violin in the school orchestra and enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Balancing those commitments with academics comes naturally to Miller.
“I think I do a good job balancing my extracurriculars with my schoolwork because I try my best to remain stress-free, and I love to have a busy schedule, so I enjoy having a lot to do,” she said.
Thompson said engagement and curiosity are qualities he frequently sees in students who achieve at a high level.
“They are genuinely interested in learning and understanding how things work, why they work and how they might be able to contribute,” he said.
He also emphasized the importance of providing students with opportunities to pursue a variety of interests. Mt. Lebanon High School offers more than 25 Advanced Placement courses, along with numerous clubs, activities, athletic programs and fine arts opportunities.
Miller said that variety has played an important role in shaping her high school experience.
“I think that the variety of classes, activities and ways to get involved have really shaped me because I am able to pursue so many things that I am interested in,” she said.
Thompson said the school’s goal is not simply to produce academically strong students but to help develop well-rounded young people who are prepared to contribute beyond the classroom.
“We want to develop well-rounded students, and we want to give them opportunities,” he said.
That philosophy appears to resonate with Miller as she looks toward life after Mt. Lebanon High School. She plans to study business in college, building on one of the academic areas she has enjoyed most during high school.
Miller is part of an even larger group of academically accomplished students at Mt. Lebanon. In addition to the five semifinalists, 15 other students were named National Merit Commended Students this year.
The Commended Students are Conner Baird, Aigerim Bakytzhan, Molly Bozick, Caleb Campanaro, Richard Deluca, Filip Drabek, Peter Goslin, Matthew Harrold, Maya Kashlan, Henry Mitchell, Gabrielle Prasad, Caroline Rost, Henry Stiglitz, Benjamin Watterson and Yiru Yang.
For Thompson, the recognition is gratifying not only because of the students’ academic accomplishments but also because of the people they are becoming.
“What I’m most proud of about these students is they’re just genuinely good kids.” Thompson said. “They’re genuinely good people.”
He said he hopes the students will carry their intellectual curiosity, ethical perspective and consideration for others with them to college and beyond.
“They’re going to be the leaders that we want them to be in the future,” Thompson said.
