Lake City students named National Merit finalists

Three Lake City High School seniors have been notified they are finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program.

Matt Hall, Scott Watford and Lara Zipperer are among approximately 15,000 students across the nation who will compete for 8,200 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $36 million. The scholarships, to be announced this spring, are underwritten by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and approximately 500 businesses and universities.

More than 1.5 million juniors from some 22,000 high schools entered the 2010 academic competition by taking the 2008 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The pool was narrowed to Semi Finalists last fall and then to the Finalists in February.

All three Lake City students have an impressive array of academic, extracurricular and community achievements and are on track to graduate with an International Baccalaureate diploma in June.

Matt Hall has maintained a cumulative grade point average of 4.2 and ranks ninth in a class of 342 seniors. He is a member of the National Honor Society, Key Club, advanced debate, symphonic band and tennis team. The son of Jeff and Wanda Hall, he is an Eagle Scout and works part-time at two businesses. He has not decided which college to attend but has been accepted to Georgetown University based on his strong academic record. His dream is to pursue a doctorate degree and become a professor.

Scott Watford has a 4.2 GPA, is a member of National Honor Society and is an Idaho Top Scholar. He has served on the student council for four years, currently serving as student body treasurer. He participated in track for two years and cross-country throughout high school. He holds a black belt in Kempo Karate and volunteers at a karate studio where he also trains. He plans to pursue a degree in architecture, and to continue studying Spanish, an area in which he has excelled. His parents are Stroman and Coleen Watford.

Lara Zipperer has pursued Lake City's most rigorous coursework while also being involved in music. An accomplished harpist and pianist, and member of the Spokane Youth Orchestra, she performed at several venues in the area during the holidays and donated her tips to Christmas For All. An Idaho Top Scholar and recipient of Earthwatch Student Challenge Award, she volunteers at a local elementary school as a tutor. The daughter of James and Diane Zipperer, she plans to pursue studies in statistics or pre-med and eventually become a psychiatrist.