Thursday, April 20, 2017 • 31
SCHOOL
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
OTM Students Named National Merit Finalists
Approximately 15,000 students nationwide have been named National Merit Finalists this year, but that number represents only 1 percent of the 1.6 million students who took the PSAT test this year. Each of the finalists is now eligible for a variety of National Merit scholarships, worth thousands of dollars. According to the National Merit organization, at least 190 universities around the nation extend scholarship offers of their own to students who are named finalists.
“We are proud of these students for all they have achieved as Rebels and as outstanding young men and women of character. We look forward to watching them achieve even more as our alumni in the years to come,” Vestavia Hills High School Principal Tyler Burgess said in a released statement. To become a finalist, students must score high enough on the standardized test to be recognized as semifinalists. The next step is to submit an applica-
tion to provide information about their academic performance, participation in school and community activities, leadership abilities, employment and honors awards that they have received. “Earning the recognition of National Merit Finalist is a tribute to their hard work and exceptional abilities, and we wish them the best as they compete for National Merit scholarships this spring,” said Indian Springs Head of School Dr. Sharon Howell of the school’s four semifinalists. ❖
Photos special to the Journal
Slow Your Roll, SpeedRacer!
HOMEWOOD Front, from left: Elijah Bouma-Sims, Maddie Bald, Hazl Torres, Emma Grace Doyal and Will Smith. Back: Trey Sims, Chandler Harris, Fischer Hawkins and Maggie Truitt. Not pictured: Emily McGhee.
VESTAVIA HILLS Front, from left: Caroline Stair, Anastasia Sorochinsky, Lana Chen, Angela Zheng, Greta Chen and Samantha Warner. Middle: Edward Huang, Kenne Zhang, Pum Koo, Hannah Precise, Emma Henderson and Sherry Wu. Back: Charles Trotman, Allan Feng, Manning Owen, Connor Johnston and Graham Thompson.
INDIAN SPRINGS From left: Nikki Bogan, Isaac GriffinLayne, Davis Tyler-Dudley and Carol Zhou. MOUNTAIN BROOK Front, from left: Laine Alby, Sarah Coleman Causey, Sarah Margaret Corley, Adam Thomas and Chase Robinett. Middle: Laura Breckinridge, Jackson Waldrop, Anna Grace Morgan and Jake Weissman. Back: Charley Bragg, Ellen Waller, Jack Martin, John Pelham and Ricky Feig. Not pictured: Jane Perry Starling. HOOVER HIGH
Amy Zhang
NOT PICTURED ALABAMA SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS Kayleigh Alexander, Eli Getman, Karthik Sadanand, Hemant Srivastava, Summer Vo and Lindsey Waggoner. ALTAMONT Afra Ashraf and Arjun Guru.
OAK MOUNTAIN
Jacob McDowell
Aneesh Pathak
Nathan Ng
Mariam Massoud
SPAIN PARK
Kathryn G. Holt
Armeen S. Barghi
Colby B. Wetzel
Williams A. Laylock
Nate Rogers
Jackson Gutshall
Margaret Baldwin
Introducing 5-Day Boarding for Grades 8-12
St.Andrew’s Sewanee AN EPISCOPAL BOARDING & DAY SCHOOL SINCE 1868
Now students can focus on school work during the week and family on the weekend. 931.598.5651 | www.sasweb.org | admissions@sasweb.org 290 Quintard Rd. | Sewanee TN
Everything moves so fast these days. There always seems to be somewhere to go, something to do, or something to see. Instant communication is the norm not the exception. You need to Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat what you are doing at any given moment (FYI – I’m sure guilty of this). Alcohol and drugs seem almost custom made for this lifestyle. “Sorry I’m late. Child 3’s t-ball game ran late. Let’s do some shots of Jagermeister so I can catch up with y’all!” or “I just need to go to sleep. I’ll take a couple of these with a glass of wine to knock me out.” or “I’m going to have to pull an all-nighter to get this done.” We self-medicate to wake up, to go to sleep, to stay awake, to relax…or we get actual prescriptions to do all of the above. If a doctor prescribes it, it must be okay, right? The downside to living like this is a lot like driving your car too hard for too long. The engine in your car isn’t made to go 90+ mph day in and day out. Eventually, it will break. That’s a fact. Running yourself too hard for too long will also cause you to break. That’s another fact. If any of this sounds like you or a loved one, maybe it’s time to take yourself or that loved one into the shop (see what I did there?). Let Bayshore Retreat be your mechanic. We’ll tune you up and teach you how to take care of your engine so it will last a long time.