On Thursday, September 24th, principal Dr. Doug Walker recognized 21 Chatham High School seniors who have been named Commended Students in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter of Commendation from the school and from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program, was presented by the principal to these scholastically talented seniors.

The Commended Students from Chatham High School are as follows: Dhara Ashar, Ethan Caffrey, Emily Deutsch, Samuel Favate, Aoibheann Hillman, Ranvir Iyengar, Joana Jayanth, Audrey Lee, John Loatman, Cara Lynch, Sarada Matia, Thomas Meyler, Lucas Nadgauda, Shakthi Prasanth, Olivia Rein, Conlan Richichi, Anya Rodrigo Candappa, Grace Ryan, Eli Sigalov, Alexander Wang, and Nicole Zhu. 

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2027 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2027 competition by taking the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®).

Dr. Walker said, “We are very proud of these students and the recognition they have earned. It is wonderful to see their hard work, dedication, and genuine love of learning recognized in this way. We look forward to seeing them continue to grow, contribute, and make a difference in our school and beyond.”   

"Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success," commented a spokesperson for NMSC. "These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success."