By Karen McBride
Photo caption: Mrs. Camille Jowanna, Principal, Hannah Holliday, and Dr. Aaron Hale, Director of Guidance.
Hannah Holliday of Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School (“Bishop”) is a semi-finalist of the National Merit Scholarship. She is the only student in the St. Petersburg Diocese to be named a semi-finalist. Hannah is planning to major in chemistry on a pre-med track while attending college next year.
The National Merit Scholarship program began in 1955. Students begin by taking the Preliminary SAT exam (PSAT). The students with the highest scores become semi-finalists in each state.
The finalist is then selected based on his/her academic record, information about the school’s curricula and grading system, two sets of test scores, the high school official’s written recommendation, information about the student’s activities and leadership, and the finalist’s own essay.
Hannah has attended Bishop since her freshman year. The Catholic college-preparatory high school was established in 2003 and is a part of the Diocese of St. Petersburg. It is named after Charles Borromeo McLaughlin, the first Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg.
Bishop’s motto is:
“Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School provides a Christ-centered education that nurtures the development of the whole person and prepares young men and women to meet successfully the challenges of our global society.”
For more information on Bishop, go to https://www.bmchs.com.