Six BPHS Students Named Commended Students in National Merit Scholarship Competition

Six Bethel Park High School seniors have been recognized as Commended Students in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program.

The honorees are Timothy Burt, Charlotte Gaston, Samuel Hoppe, Grace Perdziola, Kuon Verbosky, and Parker Walton. They are among about 34,000 students nationwide honored for their exceptional academic promise.

Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of over 1.3 million juniors who entered the competition by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). About 16,000 of those high performers were named semifinalists earlier this month. While Commended Students will not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships, they remain eligible for special scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses.

The National Merit Scholarship Program, founded in 1955, is among the nation’s most prestigious academic recognition programs.

“We are very proud of the students who achieved this national recognition,” said Bethel Park High School Principal Mrs. Racquel Sutton. “It is reflective of their hard work and dedication to learning.”