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EDUCATION AND YOUTH 

Mountain View News Saturday, September 14, 2024

18 ARCADIA HIGH STUDENTS RECOGNIZED IN 
NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLAR PROGRAM

Arcadia High has 18 Semifinalists (photographed above with their school counselors and Arcadia High 
Principal Dr. Angie Dillman) in the prestigious National Merit Scholarship Program.

18 Arcadia High students have been recognized as Semifinalists in the 70th annual National 
Merit Scholarship Program. Arcadia High’s 2025 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists 
join an elite group of students that represent the top 1% of high school seniors across the 
nation. Over the past 30 years, Arcadia High School has had at least 11 or more students 
earn this celebrated distinction. A total of over 700 students from Arcadia High have been 
named Semifinalists in the last three decades.

Arcadia High’s 2025 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists: (Alphabetical order by last 
name) Avani A. Athavale, Minjun Cha, Lewis Cheng, Hei Yin Choi, Syed S. Hussain, Dhruti 
G. Kulkarni, Avik Kumar, Annette L. Lin, Mia Y. Liu, Don C. Luc, Max M. Ma, Zuni Ng, 
Atharv A. Prabhutendolkar, Anas, S. G. Yousuf Mohammed, Catherine Z. Wang, Herrick 
X. Wang, Zejin Xu, and Evan S. Yen

Students begin their National Merit Scholarship Program journey during their junior year 
of high school when they take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying 
Test (PSAT/NMSQTⓇ). Over 1.3 million juniors from about 21,000 high schools across the 
country took the 2023 PSAT/NMSQTⓇ, which operated as the initial screening tool for 
entry into the National Merit Scholarship Program. The nationwide cohort of this year’s 
Semifinalists represent the highest-scoring entrants from each state. 

Of the approximately 16,000 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists selected, more than 15,000 
are expected to advance to the Finalist level and will be notified of this designation in February 
2025. To be considered for a finalist spot in the National Merit Scholarship Program, Arcadia High’s 
18 semifinalists will work closely with their school counselors to submit a detailed scholarship 
application, which will include information about their academic records, participation in school 
and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and rewards 
received. Each Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, 
be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SATⓇ or ACTⓇ 
scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test to be considered for 
advancement in the program. 

National Merit Scholarship finalists will be eligible to compete for nearly 7,000 National Merit 
Scholarships worth nearly $26 million, which will be announced next spring. 

In addition to Arcadia High’s consistently notable National Merit Scholarship Program participation, 
the Arcadia Unified School District was recently ranked in the top 1% of the best school districts 
nationally, according to Niche. Arcadia High graduates are represented in every Ivy League school 
and in top universities across the country, with Arcadia High’s Class of 2024 earning an impressive 
99% graduation rate. For additional details on the National Merit Scholarship program, visit http://
nationalmerit.org, and for information about Arcadia High School, visit https://ahs.ausd.net/.

SCHOOL DIRECTORY


Alverno Heights Academy

200 N. Michillinda Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-3463 

Head of School: Joanne Harabedian

E-mail address: jharabedian@alvernoheights.org

Arcadia Christian School

1900 S. Santa Anita Avenue Arcadia, CA 91006

Preschool - TK - 8th Grade

626-574-8229/626-574-0805

Email:inquiry@acslions.com

Principal: Cindy Harmon

website: www.acslions.com

Arcadia High School

180 Campus Drive Arcadia, CA 91007

Phone: (626) 821-8370, Principal: Brent Forsee

bforsee@ausd.net

Arroyo Pacific Academy

41 W. Santa Clara St. Arcadia, Ca, 

(626) 294-0661 Principal: Phil Clarke

E-mail address: pclarke@arroyopacific.org

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary School

Ms. Rose Navarro, Principal

2660 East Orange Grove Blvd.

Pasadena, Ca 91107

626-793-2089

https://school.abvmpasadena.org/

Barnhart School

240 W. Colorado Blvd Arcadia, Ca. 91007

(626) 446-5588 

Head of School: Tonya Beilstein

Kindergarten - 8th grade

website: www.barnhartschool.org

Bethany Christian School

93 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-3527 

Preschool-TK-8th Grade

Principal: Jonathon Hawes

website: www. bcslions.org

Clairbourn School

8400 Huntington Drive

San Gabriel, CA 91775

Phone: 626-286-3108 ext. 172

FAX: 626-286-1528

E-mail: jhawes@clairbourn.org

Foothill Oaks Academy

822 E. Bradbourne Ave., Duarte, CA 91010

(626) 301-9809

Principal: Nancy Lopez

www.foothilloaksacademy.org

office@foothilloaksacademy.org

Frostig School

971 N. Altadena Drive Pasadena, CA 91107

(626) 791-1255

Head of School: Jenny Janetzke

Email: jenny@frostig.org

The Gooden School

192 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-2410 

Head of School, Jo-Anne Woolner

website: www.goodenschool.org

High Point Academy

1720 Kinneloa Canyon Road 

Pasadena, Ca. 91107 

Head of School: Gary Stern 626-798-8989

website: www.highpointacademy.org

La Salle College Preparatory

3880 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca. 

(626) 351-8951 website: www.lasallehs.org

Interim Principal Ernest Siy

Monrovia High School

325 East Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA 91016 

(626) 471-2800 Principal Darvin Jackson

Email: schools@monrovia.k12.ca.us

Odyssey Charter School

725 W. Altadena Dr. Altadena, Ca. 91001

(626) 229-0993 Head of School: Lauren O’Neill

website: www.odysseycharterschool.org

Pasadena High School

2925 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca. 

(626) 396-5880 Principal: Mathew Kodama

website: http://phs.pusd.us

St. Rita Catholic School

322 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

Principal: Jon McMaster (626) 355-6114 

mcmaster@st-ritaschool.org

Website: www.st-ritaschool.org

Sierra Madre Elementary School

141 W. Highland Ave, Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 355-1428 

Principal: Dr. Jodi Marchesso

E-mail address: marchesso.jodi@pusd.us

Sierra Madre Middle School 

160 N. Canon Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 836-2947 Principal: Garrett Newsom

E-mail address: newsom.garrett@pusd.us

Walden School

74 S San Gabriel Blvd

Pasadena, CA 91107 (626) 792-6166 

www.waldenschool.net

Weizmann Day School

1434 N. Altadena Dr. Pasadena, Ca. 91107

(626) 797-0204

Lisa Feldman: Head of School

Wilson Middle School

300 S. Madre St. Pasadena, Ca. 91107

(626) 449-7390 Principal: Ruth Esseln

E-mail address: resseln@pusd.us

Pasadena Unified School District

351 S. Hudson Ave., Pasadena, Ca. 91109

(626) 396-3600 Website: www.pusd@pusd.us

Arcadia Unified School District

234 Campus Dr., Arcadia, Ca. 91007

(626) 821-8300 Website: www.ausd.net

Monrovia Unified School District

325 E. Huntington Dr., Monrovia, Ca. 91016

(626) 471-2000 

Website: www.monroviaschools.net

Duarte Unified School District

1620 Huntington Dr., Duarte, Ca. 91010

(626)599-5000 

Website: www.duarte.k12.ca.us


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com