Fort students advance as National Merit Scholarship finalists 

Three Fort Atkinson High School seniors have advanced as finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Corporation program, according to information recently released by the school district.

They are Elizabeth Barganz, Francis Kuefler and Payton Wiesen.

An announcement from the corporation naming scholarship recipients is anticipated sometime this spring, Fort Atkinson High School Principal Leigh Ann Scheuerell said.

According to information released by the district, the National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition among high school students for recognition and college scholarships that began in 1955. United States high school students enter the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which serves as an initial screen of over 1.3 million entrants each year, and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements. Students are recognized for their academic and extracurricular achievements.

Last fall, the release continued, high school administrative staff received notification that three students were recognized as semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship competition.

Barganz, Kuefler and Wiesen were among 16,000 student from across the nation to receive semifinalist recognition. There were selected from a pool of 50,000 applicants, the release stated.

The release continued: “To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship, semifinalists then must fulfill additional requirements and advance to the finalist level of the competition to be considered for a $2,500 scholarship. Approximately 15,000 of the 16,000 Semifinalists advance to finalist standing by submitting SAT scores that confirm the earlier PSAT/NMSQT performance, having an outstanding academic record, and being endorsed and recommended by a high school official. They must also submit an application that includes high school courses and grades, extracurricular and volunteer activities, and a self-descriptive essay. The information that is collected about each Semifinalist is used later in the process to choose scholarship winners. All finalists receive a Certificate of Merit in recognition of their outstanding performance in the competition.”

Biographical information, as provided within the release, about each of the scholarship finalists follows.

Elizabeth Barganz

Elizabeth Barganz is the daughter of Stacci and Todd Barganz of Johnson Creek. Barganz has earned academic honors every semester of high school and was also named an AP Scholar with honors for scoring at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, with scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. Barganz has been a member of the high school debate team, participating in the Wisconsin High School Forensics Association (WHSFA) competitions since middle school. She has earned a Silver Award rating at the state competition again competing in April. She also earned the National Speech and Debate Association’s Degree of Excellence. She has been a member of the high school Interact Club, attended the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards conference, has been part of the Student Senate, is secretary of the National Honors Society and was an ALA Badger Girls State delegate. Barganz plans on attending the University of Tulsa in the fall.

Francis Kuefler

Francis Kuefler is the son of Mary and Thomas Kuefler of Cambridge. Kuefler has earned academic honors every semester of high school and was also named an AP Scholar for scoring a perfect 5 on three of his Advanced Placement tests. In the community, Kuefler is a member of the Camrock Climbers Mountain Bike Team, and participated in the group throughout his four years of high school, winning third at State in 11th Grade and seventh at State in 12th Grade. Kuefler plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall with interest in studying economics.

Payton Wiesen

Payton Wiesen is the son of Mary and Steven Wiesen of Fort Atkinson. Wiesen earned academic honors every semester while in high school and was also named AP Scholar with Distinction for scoring at least a 3 on at least five AP exams, and having an overall AP score average of at least 3.5. He played soccer and was on the track and field team all four years of high school. Additionally, he was part of the high school’s ESports team for four years, holding the title of captain for four years. During three of the aforementioned years, the ESports team took the state title and during two of the years, Wiesen was the single state champion. Wiesen also was a member of the archery team, National Honors Society and the chess club. Wiesen plans to attend the University of Tulsa in the fall, where he hopes to double major in computer science and computer engineering.