National Merit Scholars Announced
Oct. 20, 2016 -- Heights High Seniors Charles Adam, Dorrie Pharis, Cody Radivoyevitch and William van den Bogert were named National Merit Scholars.
Charles is a Merit Scholar Semi-Finalist in the 2016 competition and has the opportunity to advance to the Finalist level and qualify for the National Merit Scholarships. 16,000 Semifinalists were recognized nationally, representing less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors.
Heights High Merit Scholars: Cody Radivoyevitch, Dorrie Pharis William van den Bogert and Charles Adam, (L-R).
Dorrie, Cody and William were named Commended Scholars, placing among the top five percent of the students who entered the competition but will not continue in competition for National Merit Scholarship awards.
About 34,000 Commended Students are recognized nationwide for their exceptional academic promise.
More than 1.6 million students entered the competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test in the fall of their junior year.
Meet the Scholars:
Charlie Adams is part of the two year Career and Technical Education Computer Networking Technology Program that is an affiliate of the Cisco Networking Training Academy. He is working to earn two Cisco Systems certifications that will qualify him to control, manage and secure computer networks.
He is also taking AP Physics. “Physics helps me understand how the world works,” he said. “Heights High has been great for me, there are lots of smart people who push and challenge me.”
He is on the varsity soccer, hockey and baseball teams and during the summer he volunteers at the Heights Emergency Food Center. He has not decided what he will study in college but he is applying to Swarthmore, Washington University in St. Louis and Kenyon.
Dorrie Pharis takes all of her classes at Cleveland State University (CSU) through Ohio’s College Credit Plus Program that encourages high school students to take classes at local colleges and universities for both high school and college credit. She is part of a CSU research team that is studying clouds to help make weather predictions more accurate. This semester she is taking University Physics II, Multivariable Calculus, Discrete Mathematics and Japanese I.
She plays violin and was part of the Instrumental Music Department as an undergraduate, volunteers to tutor students in music at Roxboro Middle School and is a captain of the Science Olympiad team. After she graduates in May, Dorrie expects to take nearly 70 college credit hours with her to Ohio State University where she plans to work toward a double major in math and physics, before pursuing graduate studies in physics.
Cody Radivoyevitch takes four classes at John Carroll University, multi variable calculus, physics, English and German. At Heights High he is in the Symphonic Winds band, playing French horn. He is also in the marching band and the brass quartet ensemble. He enjoys the ‘blaring jazz funk’ played by the Heights marching band and especially likes the dance portion of the band’s performances. He has been on the swim team, is a member of the Science Olympiad Team and an officer of Tri-M, the Music Honor Society.
His favorite class is JCU’s multi variable calculus because it is concrete, three dimensional and can be applied to the real world. He is an active Boy Scout and is completing an Eagle Scout project. He has appreciated the opportunities offered at Heights High and especially appreciates the engineering courses. He plans to attend Ohio State University or Purdue next year and will major in one of the engineering design fields.
William van den Bogert takes two classes at Cleveland State University, multi variable calculus and chemistry and five courses at Heights High. While he is an accomplished musician, earning a senior solo performance this year on piano and plays trumpet in the jazz ensemble Swing State, he plans to study engineering at the college level.
“Music is important to my emotional side, but I hope to make a difference in the world with a background in engineering,” he said. Last summer he was an intern at the Cleveland Clinic bio-robotics lab, working to improve knee and ankle replacements. He is a junior docent at the Natural History Museum and takes gymnastic lessons. Heights High’s Forensic Science course is his favorite class and appreciates seeing how science is applied to law enforcement. After graduation, he plans to study engineering at Columbia University, Carnegie Melon or The University of Michigan.