Henry Sibley High School and School District 197 congratulate Sibley seniors Jonathan LaBounty, Matt Foman and Joe Parnell who have been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program.
The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). Foman and Parnell were named National Merit Commended Students and LaBounty was named a National Merit Semifinalist.
“We are very proud of Jonathan, Matt and Joe for their achievements,” said Ryan Redetzke, principal of Henry Sibley High School. “Their dedication to academics, as well as their involvement in other school organizations and activities, makes them great representatives of the students at Sibley.”
About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Commended Students place among the top 5 percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2011 National Merit competition. Approximately 16,000 students were named Semifinalists. These students have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,300 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $34 million, that will be offered next spring.
Jonathan LaBounty is a member of the Math and Robotics Teams and captain of the Debate team. His favorite classes at Sibley have been math courses with Mr. Kluznik. After graduating, he plans to study Engineering. He has applied to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, the University of Washington, Macalester College, the University of St. Thomas and more. Jonathan lives with his family in Eagan.
Matt Foman is involved in Model United Nations, is the president of National Honors Society and plays trombone in the Henry Sibley Band. His favorite classes at Sibley have been Advanced World Literature with Mr. Skov and Calculus with Mr. Kluznik. Outside of school he has trained with Circus Joventas in St. Paul. After graduating, Foman plans to attend college to study Bio-psychology and pursue medicine. He has applied to the University of Pennsylvania and is in the process of applying to several other schools including Northwestern University, Cornell, Yale, Stanford and more. Matt lives with his family in Mendota Heights.
Joe Parnell is a member of the Cross Country, Nordic Ski, Track and Field teams, as well as the Math Team. He has also studied piano privately for many years. His favorite classes at Sibley have been Physics with Mr. Bohacek and math classes with Mr. Kluznik. After high school, Parnell plans to study Astro-physics or Engineering at college. He has applied to several schools including the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, University of Michigan, Iowa State University, Marquette, Wooster Polytechnic Institute and more. Joe lives with his family in Mendota Heights.
The three students were congratulated by the District 197 School Board at their Nov. 4 meeting.
