Miss Reagan Wells, a Walton County resident and a member of the 2022 graduating class at Seacoast Collegiate High School, the dual enrollment high school program of Seaside School, Inc., was named one of 2,500 award recipients of the 2022 National Merit Scholarships Program. Miss Wells is one of two local Santa Rosa Beach scholars.
The 2,500 Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding Finalists in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program.
National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners are the Finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.
“I am so honored to have been selected as a National Merit Scholar this year,” said Miss Wells. “I am thankful for the academic challenges and opportunities Seacoast Collegiate High School offered me that played a factor in receiving this honor as well as preparing me to continue my education.”
In addition to receiving this highest academic honor, Miss Wells graduated from Seacoast Collegiate High School with a 4.68 GPA and qualified for a Bright Futures Florida Academic Scholarship. Miss Wells plans to attend the University of Alabama in the Fall and major in communications.
As a Seacoast student, Miss Wells graduated from high school with an Associate’s Degree from Northwest Florida State College in addition to her high school diploma. Seacoast’s unique dual-enrollment program put her on track to pursue an accelerated master’s degree with the goal of ultimately attending law school.
“Reagan was a model Seacoast student,” said Dr. Scott O’Prey, Chief Executive Officer of The Seaside School, Inc., and principal of Seacoast Collegiate High School. “I enjoyed working with her when she was president of the Student Government Association. Her positive attitude, work ethic, and community-mindedness will continue to set her apart.”
The non-profit National Merit Scholarship Corporation operates without government assistance. It was founded in 1955 to conduct the National Merit Scholarship Program.
National Merit Scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the Finalists and their high schools: the academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®); contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the Finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.
The Seaside School, Inc. operates as a public charter school and admissions are conducted on an annual basis. Admissions for the next school year open in February and applications are due by the end of March. The lottery drawing takes place in May for available openings. Currently, Seaside Neighborhood School has a waitlist while Seacoast Collegiate High School has select openings for the 2022-2023 school year. Seaside School, Inc. accepts applications for grades 5th through 12th for the 2023-2024 school year starting in February 2023.
