4 Local Students Named National Merit Scholars, Moody's Upgrades Scarsdale's Rating

Four local students have been named 2016 National Merit $2,500 Scholarship Winners. They are:

• Harry S. Chalfin – Scarsdale High School
• Jeremy B. Goldstein –Edgemont High School
• Charles B. Musoff – Scarsdale High School
• Garrett W. Tanzer – Scarsdale High School

According to the NMSC, the 2,500 Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding Finalists in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program.

National Merit $2500 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.

These 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 two standardized tests; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the Finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.

NMSC finances most of these single-payment National Merit $2500 Scholarships. Corporations and company foundations that sponsor awards through NMSC also help underwrite these scholarships with grants they provide in lieu of paying administrative fees. Scholars may use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university.

This year's competition for National Merit Scholarships began in October 2014 when over 1.5 million juniors in some 22,000 high schools took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. Last fall, the highest-scoring participants in each state, representing less than one percent of the nation's high school seniors, were named Semifinalists on a state-representational basis. Only these 16,000 Semifinalists had an opportunity to continue in the competition.

From the Semifinalist group, 15,000 students met the very high academic standards and other requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. By the conclusion of the 2016 program, about 7,500 Finalists will have earned the "Merit Scholar" title and received a total of about $33 million in college scholarships.

NMSC, a not-for-profit corporation that operates without government assistance, was founded in 1955 specifically to conduct the National Merit Scholarship Program. The majority of scholarships offered each year are underwritten by approximately 440 independent corporate and college sponsors that share NMSC's goals of honoring scholastically talented youth and encouraging academic excellence at all levels of education.

Scarsdale Receives Aaa Bond Rating

Moody's Investors Service has affirmed the Aaa rating on Scarsdale Union Free School District, NY's $45 million in outstanding general obligation debt. At this time, Moody's has revised the outlook to stable.

The Aaa rating reflects the district's substantial and affluent tax base, healthy financial position with satisfactory reserve levels and strong fiscal management, and a low debt burden.

Rating Outlook:

The stable outlook reflects our view that the district's financial position has stabilized, the result of conservative budgeting and strong financial management practices.