Lake Orion High School Seniors Sydney Logsdon, Lauren Smith and Roman Gaskey were named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists last month.

The three earned among the nation’s highest scores for the 2019 PSAT, which advances them to the semifinalist round along with approximately 16,000 other students across the nation.

“This honor validates the effort I put into my education. I like this recognition because it is a gratifying reward for my academic performance and test-taking ability,” Gaskey said on the LOCS website.

Gaskey also said that is favorite course is AP U.S. Government with Kevin Kopec.

For Logsdon, her favorite course at LOHS is Wind Ensemble.

“Being a National Merit Semifinalist means a lot to me because I often forget to step back and appreciate how much effort has gone into getting me to where I am today. This honor is proof of all the hard work I have put in over the past twelve years,” Lodgson told LOCS.

Smith enjoyed microeconomics the most and also felt this award reflects all of her hard work.

“This award not only reflects my score on one test, but also the hard work that I’ve put into school since day one. Being recognized feels amazing and it will motivate me to keep pushing myself in the years to come,” Smith said.

About 90 percent of students who reach the semifinalist round are expected to reach the finalist round in February of next year.

LOHS has a history of Merit Scholarship winners. Last year, LOHS seniors Adam Tisch and Neethan Punniyamoorthy both earned top National Merit honors. — M.K.