Heights High seniors advance in National Merit Scholarship program

Four Cleveland Heights High School seniors have been recognized as semifinalists in the first round of the 58th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. They are Trevor Coble, Carter Hastings, Ian Kraus and Thomas Frederick. The four seniors will have the opportunity to compete this spring for one of 8,300 scholarships.

“These are exceptional students,” Superintendent Doug Heuer said. “We are extremely proud that they have earned this recognition. Their level of achievement is exactly what we have come to expect from Heights students, who demonstrate their excellence every year. . .on the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.”

Trevor Coble likes math, science and the social sciences. “I've had really great teachers at Heights,” he said. “Mr. Meister makes history so real.” Coble is also enrolled in numbers theory and world literature at Case Western Reserve University. Coble's love of learning was encouraged by his parents. Unsure of his plans after graduation, Coble intends to apply to several liberal arts colleges, including Macalester in St. Paul, Minn. and Kenyon in Gambier, Ohio.

Carter Hastings felt he had no other choice but to succeed. “My parents and teachers really encouraged me to do my best,” Carter said. “My parents are proud of me. A lot of the credit goes to them—they pushed me and helped me to reach my goals,” he said. Carter is interested in attending a liberal arts college and plans to apply to Oberlin College, Denison University and Kenyon College.

Ian Kraus appreciates the great teachers at Heights High. “Heights has done a lot for me,” Kraus said. “The teachers and staff are always there to support me.” History teacher Karen Bauer-Blazer has had the biggest impact on him. “History is my favorite subject and I have had her class every year of high school,” he said. “She makes class interesting and engaging.” Kraus plans to apply to schools with strong business programs, including Stanford, Columbia and Princeton universities.

Thomas Frederick’s favorite classes are chemistry and statistics. He is enrolled in organic chemistry and calculus at Cleveland State University and AP statistics at Heights High. “I have always been a math person,” he said. He credits chemistry teacher Evelyn Bradshaw for being especially inspiring. Frederick enjoys his organic chemistry class at CSU because it enables him to see how things work at the micro level. Frederick plans to apply to several schools, including Brown and Northwestern universities.