Bryant High School produces the fewest National Merit Scholars compared to other schools in Arkansas. National Merits are students who score in the top 1% on the PSAT. National Merit Scholarship not only prepares students for college, but can help students receive full rides to schools all over the country.

The school has been working to come up with ways to get students college ready, learn how to write scholarship essays and increase ACT scores. As a result, the high school has created a new class, Honors Seminar, taught by Corey Boby and Tara Seale. Students are required to have a 3.0 GPA, be enrolled in at least two Pre-AP, AP or concurrent credit classes and receive a recommendation from a core teacher to be placed in this course.

“The purpose [of this class] is to help students with the college application process,” Boby said. “This will include standardized test preparation, scholarship searches, completing applications, career exploration and interviewing techniques.”

Our school produced only one National Merit Scholar in 2016, senior Alexis Lorio, and it is the school’s goal to graduate more.

“[National Merit] is certainly one of the main goals of the course,” Boby said. “Other schools of our size have classes similar to this, and often have more National Merit Semifinalists than we have.”

Junior Kaitlyn Ives was recommended to take the class and hopes to receive closer attention for college readiness.

“I am hoping it will help me be better prepared for college,” Ives said. “However, I am not really taking the class for my ACT or SAT score.”

Because of the stricter prerequisites, some students will not qualify to be enrolled in the course.

“I feel that the people with the best work ethic and highest GPAs will get in,” Ives said. “This makes me kind of nervous, even though I have a 4.1, because a lot of smart students are going to want to be in that class.”

Some of the criteria for the class include PSAT/SAT and ACT prep, pursuing areas of interests, career research and college interviews.

“Cabot has a similar class, and they have more national merit scholars in part because of this extra attention they spend preparing students for the exam,” Seale said.

Seale described the course for an entry in the CAP book:

Honors Seminar is a college preparatory course tailored for students pursuing National Merit Scholarship qualifying scores, Advanced Placement Scholar Awards, Governor’s Distinguished Scholarships, and admittance to honors programs at colleges and universities. Honors Seminar will assist and challenge students to reach their full potential and achieve academic goals. Students who apply for this program must possess the maturity, mindset, and motivation to actively engage in discussions, research, and meaningful coursework to attain scholastic excellence.