The sophomores took the Preliminary SAT(PSAT) exam at the beginning of their high school careers to give them an angle on how they’re doing and to see if the new class is eligible to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship.

“The PSAT was pretty easy.  The only challenge was time management,” said sophomore Makayla McFerrin.

The sophomores who scored advanced on the PSAT were chosen as future Merit Scholars. They were chosen to go on a field trip to the University of Arkansas (UofA) which lasted about a whole school day.

“We learned about some of the scholarship information and some interesting facts about the U of A,” said sophomore Yuangfei Zhang. “We also viewed some PSAT questions so we could understand them.”

Sixty-six sophomores attended the field trip along with a couple of teachers. Sophomores are chosen to prepare this year so when they take it next year they have a better chance for getting a high score when it counts.

“It was a day to kind of meet them, build relationships with them, and work with them,” said lead English teacher Amy Johnson, “We just want to prepare them for scholarships that they could gain for making a high score.”

After qualifying, students move on to write an essay. If the essay is well written, you’re selected to be a finalist. Once you become a finalist, the scholarship money begins to come in.

The teachers encourage the students to write the essay, and they are willing to help anyone who needs it to perfect their essays. Since the scholarship is the National Merit, the students can use the money to attend any college or university they’re accepted into.

“I thought it was really cool and kind of special to be selected,” said sophomore Riegan Anderson, “It’s helping me test better and be more relaxed about it.”