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Schools

Serra Seniors Named National Merit Semifinalists

Shea and Acharya picked among top one percent of 1.5 million entrants, seven other Serra seniors commended by NMSP.

A Peninsula school with a national reputation for excellence in athletics has garnered some recognition for excellence in academics.

Serra High, the San Mateo school whose alumni include home run king Barry Bonds, three-time Super Bowl champion winning quarterback Tom Brady, and NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swann, this year has two National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalists and seven others who were commended by the NMSP.

Seniors Rohan Acharya and Danny Shea last month were named NMSP semifinalists.

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Acharya, of Redwood Shores, plans to major in engineering. Shea, a San Bruno resident, plans to study psychology.

Acharya and Shea are among 16,000 semifinalists selected from about 1.5 million students in 22,000 high schools who entered the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program last year by taking the 2010 preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

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The nationwide pool of semifinalists represents less than one percent of high school seniors, selected among the highest-scoring entrants from each state.

Foster City residents Faraz Fatemi, Jacob Goell and Sean-Patrick Zurcher, along with Kevin Arms of San Mateo, Luke Longinotti of Burlingame, Redwood City resident Michael Glassmoyer and San Carlos resident Nathan Zimmerer are among about 34,000 seniors named Commended Students by the NMSP.

Commended Students placed among the top five percent of entrants taking the PSAT/NMSQT.

Despite its reputation as a sports power, Serra’s alumnus includes many who have excelled in academics and the arts, including New York Times Executive and Pulitzer Prize winner Editor Bill Keller (Class of 1966), Michael Shrieve (1967), a drummer for Carlos Santana, and bestselling auhtoer John Lescroart (1967).

“Our students continue to excel at the highest level,” Serra Principal Barry Thornton said in a prepared statement.

“We congratulate these outstanding students, their families and their teachers who have created an environment of excellence for these young men. They have a bright future and we are proud that they are Padres!”

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