Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) is proud to announce four students named as Semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
Central High School students Arthur Lijewski-Lee, Alex Potrafke, Lillian Shev, and Helly Taylor were among 16,000 students named as 2026 National Merit Semifinalists. As Semifinalists, these students have the opportunity to continue in the competition for 6,930 National Merit Scholarships. These four students are among the highest-scoring participants in the nation, representing less than one percent of all U.S. high school seniors.
Seventeen additional TCAPS students were also named National Merit Commended Scholars. This list includes Central High School students Bridget Belden, Abigail Houghton, Raven Mead, Charlie Schwarz, and Samuel Tursman, and West Senior High School students Tucker Ballenger, Owen Chadwick, Edward Chan, Jonah Dorsch, Jonas Heron, Graham Hetherington, Adeline Mulder, Brady Partlo, Katelyn Popp, Landon Rice, Trey Stewart, and Owen Wohlfert. These seventeen students scored in the top three percent of all U.S. high school seniors for their PSAT/NMSQT performance.
“We are incredibly proud of these students for their academic achievements,” said Superintendent Dr. John VanWagoner. “Their hard work and dedication, combined with the commitment of our TCAPS K-12 staff, have distinguished them among their peers. This accomplishment is a testament to the strong academic foundation and supportive environment provided at TCAPS, and we wish them the very best as they continue in this prestigious competition.”
Over 1.3 million juniors entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 PSAT/NMSQT, which served as the initial screen for the program.