Upper Academy Director, Amanda Ormiston, of Neuse Charter School, announced today that Grayson Ferguson has been named a Commended Student in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter of Commendation from NCS and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program, will be presented by the Academy Director to this talented senior.
 
About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2024 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2024 competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
 
“Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” commented a spokesperson for NMSC. “These students represent a valuable natural resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as they key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of education 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.”

Two students at Neuse Charter School earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs. These programs celebrate students' hard work in high school and showcase their strong academic performance. The academic honors for rural area, Black, Indigenous, and/or Latino students are an opportunity for students to share their strong academic achievements with colleges and scholarship programs that are seeking to recruit diverse talent. 
 
Seniors Greyson Dunn and Clare Harris were both honored for Academic Honors by College Board’s National Recognition Program. Greyson is the daughter of Wendy and Rodney Dunn of Benson and Clare is the daughter of Emily and Chad Harris of Smithfield. 
 
“We’re thrilled to celebrate our students and recognize them for the great work they’ve been doing. We’re proud of their strong academic performance in the classroom and on College Board assessments,” said Amanda Ormiston, Director of the Upper Academy at Neuse Charter.  “There’s so much that makes our students unique, and receiving this honor reinforces this as an asset for their bright futures.”

The criteria for eligible students include:

• GPA of 3.5 or higher.
• PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 assessment scores that are within the top 10% of assessment takers in each state for each award program or earned a score of 3 or higher on 2 or more AP Exams in 9th and 10th grade.

• Attend school in a rural area or small town, or identify as African American/Black, Hispanic American/Latino, or Indigenous/Native.

​“It’s becoming increasingly hard for students to be ‘seen’ during the college recruitment process. We’re exceptionally proud of the National Recognition Programs for celebrating students who are at times overlooked but have shown their outstanding academic abilities,” said Tarlin Ray, senior vice president of BigFuture® at College Board. “This is a benefit not only for students but also for colleges and universities committed to recruiting diverse and talented students.”