Four high school seniors from the Springfield area, including two from Central High School, have won $2,500 for college from the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.
There were a total 40 winners from Missouri were among those selected from more than 15,000 finalists nationally. The majority were from the St. Louis area.
The Central seniors include Matteo Francis and Lilly Ruth Williams.
Both were also among the 51 students honored during Springfield Public Schools’ 40th annual Recognition of Scholastic Excellence or ROSE banquet. The honor was for seniors at each school with the highest grade point average.
Francis plans to attend college at the University of Missouri-Columbia to pursue a law degree and aims for a career as a defense attorney. In high school, he was active in debate, Envirothon, Mock Trial, Model UN, and tennis.
Williams plans to attend Princeton University to pursue a degree in math with a minor in optimization and quantitative decision science. She aspires to work in NASA Mission Control while also exploring interests in quantum research.
Her high school activities include serving as a commissioner on Cabinet for public relations and community service, fundraising officer for Key Club, co-captain of cross country, Mu Alpha Theta, STUCO class secretary, Central Pom Dogs Dance Team, French Honor Society, National Honor Society, and the yearbook staff.
Other area winners include Noah Blaine, of Fordland High School, and Gretchen Marie House, of Chadwick High School.
Blaine plans to pursue a career in music composition while House is interested in the aviation field.
House is believed to be the first student in the history of Chadwick to be named a semifinalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program. She made it to the finalist level.
She has been studying remotely but has previously competed in track, cross country, math competitions, quiz bowl and National Honor Society.The National Merit $2500 Scholarship winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.
The winners were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the finalists and their high schools. They reviewed their academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.
