POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (KBSI) – A Poplar Bluff Highschool student is being recognized for huge achievements.
Poplar Bluff Highschool has proudly announced that for the first time in years one of their students is a National Merit Scholarship candidate.
Jack Funke, a senior, is one of more than 16,000 semifinalists of the 70th annual NMS program.
Based on his Preliminary SAT score from last year, the not-for-profit recently announced he was a semifinalist.
The School Counseling Department says Jack is a great asset to the school, Jack not only has excelled intellectually, serving as varsity captain of the Academic Team, but he has experienced success in band, theater and athletics as well as outside of school in Scouting.
“As a Scholar Bowl member, Jack began to earn the respect of the most capable members by being able to intelligently discuss such things as the ethics of experiments by Zimbardo, the value of absurdist works like ‘Waiting for Godot,’ or the artistic merit of Malevich’s Suprematism,” PBHS Science Department chair Gail Karlish wrote in a letter of recommendation. “…Because of Jack’s knowledge and playing prowess, the after-school practices morphed for a time into everyone versus Jack.”
Funkes abilities don’t stop there on top of never earning a grade below an A, Jack was accepted into the Missouri Scholars Academy at the University of Missouri; he is currently the head of the keyboard pit crew in the Sho-Me Marching Band and earned a chair in the wind ensemble each year; successfully tried out for a lead role in the Drama Club’s “Get Smart;” achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and was inducted into the Order of the Arrow; and has competed as a long-distance runner for the Cross-Country team.
Funke says the support of his parents have played a big role in his success.
“They’ve always encouraged me to do my best at everything,” writes Funke, who plans to study political science and government in college. “They’ve helped me out when I needed it, and they shared with me plenty of documentaries, non-fiction books and travel to help me learn more outside of school. They’ve pushed me to step outside of my comfort zone.”
Of the semifinalists, more than 15,000 are expected to advance to finalists later in the winter.
The gifted students will then compete for 6,870 scholarships worth approximately $26 million in spring, between the organization itself, corporate sponsorships and universities recruiting directly.
PBHS last had a Merit Scholar in alumnus Adeesh Mishra in 2018, according to the school district.
In addition to Funkes big achievements PBHS Senior Paden Thornton was named a commended student for the “exceptional academic promise” she demonstrated for scoring among the top 50,000 highest performers on the PSAT.
Throughout her high school career, Paden has participated in band, earning a gold performance rating and a chair on the wind ensemble her very first year, plus has been an active member of the Environmental, Interact and Beta clubs.
She says she plans to study wildlife biology as an undergraduate and become a conservationist.
“Those being named commended students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” reads a press release from the organization. “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”
Over 1.3 million juniors from 21,000 high schools entered the NMS program by taking the 2023 qualifying test.
