Last week, we told you about Anna Bauer, Kingsley High School’s first-ever National Merit Semifinalist. This week, Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) has announced that four of its class of 2026 seniors have earned the same prestigious honor.

The four students, all of whom attend Traverse City Central High School, are Arthur Lijewski-Lee, Alex Potrafke, Lillian Shev, and Helly Taylor (pictured, left to right). They are among the 16,000 students nationwide that have earned semifinalist status this year, and will now have the opportunity to compete for nearly 7,000 National Merit scholarships totaling $26 million. Per a TCAPS press release, less than 1 percent of all high school seniors in the United States achieve National Merit Semifinalist status.

Beyond those four, 17 other TCAPS students were named National Merit Commended Scholars. Those include five more students from Central High School (Bridget Belden, Abigail Houghton, Raven Mead, Charlie Schwarz, and Samuel Tursman), as well as 12 seniors at West Senior High (Tucker Ballenger, Owen Chadwick, Edward Chan, Jonah Dorsch, Jonas Heron, Graham Hetherington, Adeline Mulder, Brady Partlo, Katelyn Popp, Landon Rice, Trey Stewart, and Owen Wohlfert). Commended Scholar status means those students “scored in the top three percent of all U.S. high school seniors for their PSAT/NMSQT performance,” per TCAPS.

“We are incredibly proud of these students for their academic achievements,” said TCAPS Superintendent Dr. John VanWagoner. “Their hard work and dedication, combined with the commitment of our TCAPS K-12 staff, have distinguished them among their peers. This accomplishment is a testament to the strong academic foundation and supportive environment provided at TCAPS, and we wish them the very best as they continue in this prestigious competition.”