Massapequa Has Record Five Merit Finalists

Five Massapequa High School students are now finalists in one of the nation's most prestigious scholarship programs.

Seniors Joseph Mogavero, Melanie Sheehan, Robyn Tse, Joanna Urli and Joseph Zappa were recently named finalists in the National Merit Scholarship program.

Officials said that's a new record for the Massapequa school district.

The students are considered among the top one percent of the nations most promising students and are competing for one of 8,300 scholarships  worth more than $32 million.

The received the honor based on their scores on on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, as well as their  maintaining a strong academic and extracurricular record.

“Each one of these outstanding students is a pillar of academic and civic excellence that sets them apart from their peers,” said Massapequa High School Principal Dr. Barbara Williams. “They are shining examples of what can be achieved through rigorous coursework and by taking advantage of the wealth of opportunities we have here at Massapequa High School.”

The students will  fins out in the Spring if they will receive one of three types of awards: a $2500 National Merit scholarship, a corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship award or a college-sponsored Merit Scholarship award.