FRANKLIN — Franklin High School senior Gavin Warnakulasooriya has been named a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist, and 10 of his classmates were recognized as “Commended Students” in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program.
According to a statement from Franklin Public Schools Superintendent Lucas Giguere, the Commended Students are Arden Meyer, Ridika Gandla, Aodhfionn Downs, Charles Nash, Krithi Rajesh, Emma Anderson, Arsh Tyagi, Jonathan Mabardy, Keshan Kumar, and Pranava Ponvinayagan.
According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), Commended Students are drawn from about 34,000 seniors nationwide who demonstrated “outstanding academic promise” based on their standardized test scores. They were identified from the 50,000 highest scorers on the 2024 PSAT/NMSQT. More than 16,000 students were named semifinalists this year—about 1% of U.S. high-school seniors—who may compete for 6,930 scholarships worth nearly $26 million.
“I am thrilled to see our students acknowledged for their dedication, hard work and achievements,” Principal Maria Weber said, congratulating the honorees by name. Superintendent Lucas Giguere added, “These academic achievements are a demonstration of the drive, hard work, and talents of our students. We’re grateful that they are being celebrated for these accomplishments.”
