Five Pierson High School students who are excelling both inside and outside the classroom have been recognized for their achievements: Two seniors have been named semifinalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Competition, and three students have been honored for their exemplary work and outstanding character.
Kai Basseches and David Kriegsman, who are seniors in the Sag Harbor school system, are the semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program, which is in its 70th year. According to a press release from the Sag Harbor School District, "they were selected based on their outstanding performance on the 2023 College Board Preliminary SAT (P.S.A.T.) qualifying tests that over 1.3 million students took in the fall of 2023."
Kai and David are two of 16,000 semifinalists nationwide. Taking the next step toward becoming finalists, both students have submitted detailed scholarship applications. They are two of the top students in their class, as well as International Baccalaureate diploma program candidates.
Margaret Motto, Pierson's college and career counselor, said in a statement that their semifinal status "recognizes their achievements as being two of the highest-scoring entrants in New York State."
Additionally, the school recently announced that Milla Campomar, another senior, has received the College Board's National Hispanic Scholar Recognition Award for outstanding achievement on the P.S.A.T. "Qualification for this recognition is based on [her] combined verbal, math, and writing skills on the P.S.A.T. taken during her junior year of high school," Pierson announced.
Outside the classroom, Virginia Kasselakis, a Pierson junior, completed 253 hours of community service and earned the President's Gold Volunteer Service Award from AmeriCorps in recognition of her efforts to strengthen her community.
Last but not least, Grace D'Angelo, another Pierson senior, was named Employee of the Month in her career and technical education program at the Eastern Long Island Academy of Applied Technology, a BOCES program. She participates in the art, design, and visual communication program.
"The title of Employee of the Month was established to recognize those students whom their instructors would want to hire," Nicole Zergebel, principal of Eastern Long Island Academy of Applied Technology, wrote in a release. "Being selected as the Employee of the Month is an honor, and these students should serve as role models among their peers."