CAMDEN — Two students from Watershed School, Thor Gabrielsen and Nate Strout, have been named semifinalists in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship program.

These students are two of the 74 semifinalists in the state of Maine, with approximately 16,000 semifinalists nationwide. Semifinalists were selected from a pool of more than 1.5 million high school juniors that entered the 2022 competition by taking the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The nationwide pool of semi finalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

"We are so pleased for these very accomplished students,” said Will Galloway, Head of School, in a news release. “Their achievements demonstrate what many of our students say about Watershed- that it is a small school with a big experience!  Watershed provides a wide range of meaningful experiences that cultivate intellectual inquiry and the joy of learning while encouraging students to make meaningful contributions to the world around them."

Watershed School has had ten National Merit Scholarship finalists since 2006. The faculty gets to know each student in the school — in terms of learning style, interests, attitude toward learning, challenges, and aspirations — so they can help develop each student’s full potential       

These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $30 million that will be offered next spring. National Merit Scholarship winners of 2022 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 362,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.

Watershed School is an independent high school located in Camden, serving students who are looking for a challenging academic program in the context of a supportive and enthusiastic school culture. Watershed is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, is a Maine State Approved High School, and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). For more information, please visit watershed-school.org or call 207-230-7341.