Two Comal ISD students named National Merit Scholars

Both students received $2,500 scholarships

– The Comal ISD Board of Trustees honored the district’s National Merit Scholars at its monthly board meeting on May 18. Pictured with the Board is Noah Bliss from Davenport High School and Mason Mock from Smithson Valley High School. (Comal ISD)

COMAL COUNTY, Texas – Noah Bliss and Mason Mock were honored as National Merit Scholars by Comal ISD.

Bliss will graduate from Davenport High School and plans to attend the University of Texas at Austin to study Aerospace Engineering. Mock will graduate from Smithson Valley High School and plans to attend Texas A&M University to study Electrical Engineering.

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National Merit Scholars are selected from a pool of National Merit finalists who take the PSAT/NMSQT test in 11th grade.

The initial pool is around 1.5 million students. From that number, 50,000 students with the highest score will qualify for National Merit Scholarship Program recognition.

The students who qualify are given the title “Commended students” or “Semifinalists.”

More than 15,000 Semifinalists are notified that they have advanced to the Finalist portion.

Merit scholarship winners are chosen from the pool of finalists based on abilities, skills and accomplishments.

The National Merit Scholarship Program evaluates finalists on several things, including information on the student’s activities and leadership, their essays and written recommendations from the high school, among other things.


About the Author:

Mason Hickok is a digital producer trainee at KSAT. He graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a communication degree and a minor in film studies. He also spent two years working at The Paisano, the independent student newspaper at UTSA. Outside of the newsroom, he enjoys the outdoors, walking his dogs and listening to podcasts.