Woodstock North High School senior named first National Merit Scholarship finalist in school history

Woodstock North High School senior Jason Thurow was named a National Merit Scholarship Finalist for the first time in the school’s history, Woodstock School District 200 said in a news release.

The designation puts him under the top 1% of high school seniors in the nation and makes him the first to receive the honor in the school’s “relatively short history,” the district said in the release.

Jason has been involved in band and theater from a young age, performing in concerts and plays dating back to elementary and middle school.

“I knew being named a finalist was a really hard thing to achieve, so I didn’t really expect it,” Jason said in the release.

He plans to study physics in college, although he’s not certain where he plans to attend since COVID-19 restrictions have made it difficult to visit campuses.

Jason recently won first place in physics at the ACES Academic Challenge regional competition, where he and his Woodstock North teammates also placed first.

“I plan on majoring in that. I like problem solving and figuring out things about the world and how it works,” he said.

More than 1.5 million high school juniors entered the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking a qualifying test. Students who qualified as finalists represent less than 1% of high school seniors across the nation and include the highest scoring entrants in their respective states.

To be considered as finalists, students were required to submit a detailed scholarship application providing information about their academic record, honors, employment, leadership abilities, school and community participation among other criteria.

National Merit Scholarship finalists compete for about 7,600 scholarships worth more than $30 million, which will be available this spring.