Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Farmington students in running for scholarships
FARMINGTON — Two Farmington High seniors have been named semifinalists for National Merit Scholarships, the nonprofit organization that operates the college scholarship award program.
Weston Sills and Catherine Warren, who have both attended Farmington schools since kindergarten, are among 141 Arkansas high school seniors named as semifinalists and are among about 16,000 semifinalists announced nationwide, out of 50,000 high scorers throughout the country.
The students are semifinalists based on their scores on the 2020 Preliminary SAT qualifying test taken last fall. As semifinalists for Arkansas, they are invited to submit applications to continue in the competition for about 7,600 National Merit scholarships worth about $30 million. Awards will be announced in the spring.
The students had an Oct. 6 deadline to submit their applications, which included an essay and information about activities they are involved in and honors they’ve received.
Warren said she was not too surprised to be named a semifinalist because of her score and how it compared to the scores in Arkansas for the PSAT in previous years.
“I looked at past Arkansas test scores and I figured I probably made it,” Warren said in a recent interview. She admitted, though, that she “stressed” about the test before receiving her scores.
The top 1% of scores for each state makes it into the semifinals for the competition, so each state has a cutoff point. For example, Warren said her score in another state may have not been high enough to be named a semifinalist.
Showing her competitive side, Warren said one of her favorite parts of being named a semifinalist is that it is a recognition her two older brothers did not achieve. However, she said she is excited to be honored because it shows she scored well on a national standardized test.
Sills is planning to attend the University of Arkansas, and any scholarship money would help him with tuition and expenses, he said. His goal is to have a full scholarship to the UA.
Both students say attending Farmington schools has been a good experience.
“I think all the teachers have done a very, very good job,” Sills said. “With two being named National Merit semifinalists this year, it shows how good the teachers are at Farmington.
I’ve learned from all of my teachers.”
Warren said she’s loved being a Farmington student and has never wanted to go anywhere else.
“I’ve always felt included, part of the community,” Warren said. “We’ve had great teachers who wanted us to do our best. It’s been a positive experience, especially here at Farmington High.”
Clayton Williams, Farmington High assistant principal, said the students’ achievement reflects on their abilities and also reflects on the staff, from elementary through high school.
“Obviously, we’re very proud of both of them,” Williams said. “It’s a team effort, not just the high school. We’re the ones who get to see the highlight but it’s definitely something we celebrate across the district.”
The students are involved in multiple activities and organizations.
Warren, for example, is president of the senior class and has been a member of the Academic Competition in Education team. She is a member of National Honor Society, is a four- time All American Cheer nominee, a member of the high school tennis team and a member of the high school’s Cardinal Crew.
Warren represented Farmington High at the 2019 Arkansas Girls State, helps to lead worship at Farmington United Methodist Church, works for the school district’s technology department and volunteers in several areas, such as her church’s food pantry, the Back to School Bonanza and helping to feed the homeless once a month with her church.
In 2018, Sills was a semifinalist for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. He is a pitcher and outfielder with the high school baseball team and plays trumpet with the high school band. He is president of the high school’s National Honor Society, a member of Farmington ACE team and is active with his youth group at Farmington First Baptist Church.
As part of the competition, the students are required to put in college and career information.
Warren said she’s not sure about a career but one of her favorite subjects is math. Her essay topic was “overcoming the obstacle of my insecurity regarding my lymphatic malformation. “
Sills said he is interested in a career in the medical field. For his essay, he wrote about his experience competing at the National Spelling Bee in 2018.