Garfield Tops for National Merit Scholars for SPS
This listing of semi-finalists for National Merit Scholars appeared in today's Times. Lakeside had 33 (tops in the state) while Garfield had 22 (tops for public high schools in the state). Other SPS high schools on the list; Center School (1), Ingraham (2), Hale (1), and Roosevelt (7).
Comments
But, folks, it does point to the fact that what you hear from a single source (or old District folktale) might NOT be true. Give schools a chance before giving them short shrift.
Does that say anything meaningful about the schools?
Criteria, taken from a large volume of information submitted by the students and their schools, include not only grades, but also difficulty of subjects, scores on standardized tests, examples of leadership and community involvement and essays describing their goals and interests.
About 90% semi-finalists go on as finalists & half of that number go on to be National Merit Scholarship winners
They all are eligible to compete for about 8,000 scholarships.
I can't say about Lakeside- but at Garfield all students are encouraged to take the PSAT not only as juniors but also as sophomores- something that perhaps other Seattle high schools don't do.
So I feel it wasn't the school he went to. It was a very ambitious mother who had him study Latin and piano and violin when other kids in the nationhood were playing soccer, and riding bike and messing around.
I now have a very smart serious kid, that I am tempted to coax in that direction. And he seems happy by excelling but I wonder if I just let him be...what he will be...
How do we tell how much to encourage in that direction and how much we are actually pushing kids into our own unfulfilled dream? I wish I knew...