Academic progress shows merit in Lakewood Ranch

It was music to his ears.

Taking a guitar lesson Sept. 17, Lakewood Ranch High senior A.J. LaMarc saw his phone light up.

His family’s group chat was sending him a message. He had been selected as a National Merit Scholar semifinalist.

“I wasn’t really surprised,” LaMarc said. “I took (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) last fall and I felt really good about it.”

LaMarc was one of two East County semifinalists, along with Braden River High senior Grace Hill.

“My dad, Mike Hill, also was a National Merit Scholar,” Hill said. “It was cool to tell him I was being considered. He was so excited because he had been reading up on the scholarship. He went to school in Ohio, and his school was all taken care of because of that scholarship.”

Hill said a common misconception is that being a Merit Scholar means a student has no life and spends all her or his time trying to ace the PSAT exam.

“I am No. 1 in my class ranking,” said Hill. “I don’t think my friends are judging me, but I do think people believe I study all the time.

“This is attainable. I like school, and I enjoy learning.”

LeMarc’s mother, Carolyn, said her son doesn’t spend all his time studying.

“He doesn’t want to sound like a nerd and say that he studies a lot, but he does study and do his homework, probably like an hour a night,” she said. “We are very proud of him, of course. I didn’t get very good grades on my SAT, so I don’t know where he gets it from.”

LeMarc said he wasn’t going to tell his friends about his semifinalist status.

“Sometimes when we’re in class and we’re getting back our grades or something, my friends will be like ‘Oh, I bet A.J. got a hundred or whatever.’” LaMarc said. “But math and science have always come pretty easy to me.”

Hill said that similarly, she didn’t go around spreading the news to her friends. She and LaMarc share the same GPA, a 4.7, and both are taking multiple Advanced Placement classes —Hill is even taking an English class at State College of Florida.

Each year, approximately 16,000 students (of 1.4 million juniors) earn recognition as National Merit Scholar semifinalists. That puts them in the top 99th percentile in their state.

The students are asked to submit their high school records, recommendations from teachers and a personal essay. Approximately 94% of those will receive status as finalists.

At that point, some students will be selected to win a $2,500 scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship Corp. Others can earn even larger awards from colleges hoping to attract them.

LaMarc said his parents, who live in Country Club, used to give him math worksheets in the summer.

“We didn’t want him to experience the brain drain that shows up when students in the summer get behind,” Carolyn LaMarc said. “His dad (Anthony LaMarc) has a master’s in math, so doing math well is something that’s important to him.”

A.J. LaMarc wants to become an astrophysicist and is looking at the University of Florida.

“I like taking Advanced Placement chemistry because it’s challenging,” he said. “I love the chemical reactions and working in the labs. I liked taking those math and science hybrids and using them in real life problems.”

Hill also is looking at the University of Florida, but she’s not sure what she wants to pursue.

“I’m not sure what direction I’m going,” Hill said. “But I’m proud of myself.”