School news in brief | The Kansas City Star

National Merit Honors

Commended Students: Six North Kansas City School District seniors and a Liberty High School senior have been named Commended Students in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Recognized as scholastically talented, the students are Brock Boysan from Liberty High; Ben Soderstrom from North Kansas City High School; Augustus Batres, Max Gruschka, Cody Kolka and Anna Merkel from Oak Park; and Adam Nissley from Staley.

Commended Students rank among the top 5 percent of more than 1.6 million students nationwide who entered the National Merit competition by taking qualifying tests their junior year.

Kansas State University

Graduate degrees: Northland students are among those completing graduate degree requirements this summer on the campus in Manhattan.

Benjamin Listhartke from Kansas City, North, earned a master of science degree in mathematics.

Eugene Johnson and Daniel Reiter of Platte City earned graduate certificates.

Staley High School

Journalists recognized: Yearbook students received an All-American rating from the National Scholastic Press Association for the 2016 “Legacy.”

The rating is the highest award given by the association in its annual yearbook critique program.

The yearbook was awarded Marks of Distinction in design, essentials, coverage and writing and editing and earned 473 of a possible 500 points.

The 2016 editors were Madison Lott and Kyndall Truelove.

Park Hill School District

Singers selected: Students were chosen by audition for the KC Metro All-District Choir.

From Park Hill High School, choir members are Dalon Davis, Kelly Decker, Ryan Decker, Dalton Dishman, Deanna Eberhart, Christian Lewis, Katelyn Modlin, Eleanor Panico, Sarah Storm and Turrell Smith.

Singers from Park Hill South High School are Maxwell Flanigan, Joey Ford, Nathan Jurries, Anne Price and Colton Richards.