Sachem East's Christina Perri is National Merit Scholarship Finalist

Sachem East senior Christina Perri, who was was recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program as a semifinalist back in September, has advanced as a finalist in this prestigious competition based on her score on the 2010 PSAT exam.

"This is a significant achievement and one of pride for our community," said Sachem East Principal Dr. Rory Manning in a letter to the community.

More than 1.5 million students took the 2010 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test last October and entered the National Merit Program, a nationwide competition for recognition and awards conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Only 15,000 students advanced to the finalist stage of the program. This designation puts Christina’s score in the top 1 percent of all students nationwide.

"It is an honor for any student to be designated as a finalist, but we also know that this honor is the result of many years of hard work, dedication and commitment on behalf of Christina to her academic studies," Manning said. "Congratulations to Christina Perri and her family."