Two Rocks recognized as National Merit Finalists Trinity seniors Ori Youngblood and Joseph Senn were recognized as National Merit Finalists by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test – a test that serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.5 million entrants each year – and by meeting published program entry/participation requirements. Youngblood and Senn were among the 15,000 Semifinalists. In February, Semifinalists were notified that they advanced to Finalist standing. High school principals are notified and provided with a certificate to present to each Finalist. All winners of Merit Scholarship awards (Merit Scholar designees) are chosen from the Finalist group, based upon their abilities, skills and accomplishments. A variety of information is available for NMSC selectors to evaluate: the Finalist’s academic record, information about the school’s curricula and grading system, two sets of test scores, the high school official’s written recommendation, information about the student’s activities and leadership, and the Finalist’s own essay. Zehnder’s economics class on top again The latest regional rankings of the Kentucky Stock Market Game once again find a team from Dr. Tom Zehnder’s (’63) economics class at No. 1. Teams in schools from across the state compete each week for the highest total equity of their mock investments. Zehnder’s teams regularly are at the top and frequently have gone on to competitions at the national level. The team currently at the top is comprised of juniors and seniors who have earned a return 4.3 percent above the S&P 500 Growth Rate. Two additional teams from Zehnder’s classes are in the top 20. Speech Rocks sixth in regional; Rojas-Ortega wins Impromptu The Trinity speech team, coached by Ms. Amy Zuccaro, placed sixth in the Louisville Regional Tournament this weekend. The event is the qualifying tournament for the State Speech Tournament in March. Joining pre-qualifiers Jorge Rojas-Ortega (Extemp and Impromptu) and Drew Smith (Broadcasting) are the following team members: in Broadcasting, sophomore John Paul Dyar and junior Jeremy Gaines; in Declamation, Dyar; in Impromptu, sophomore Marck Kiselevach and Jeremy Gaines; in Prose, Kiselevach, senior Jared Wilson, and sophomore Kyle Hillebrand; and in Poetry, Wilson and Hillebrand. In addition, Rojas-Ortega placed fourth in Extemp, Smith placed third in Broadcasting, and Rojas-Ortega is the regional champion in Impromptu. With these performances and solid performances from sophomore Pedro Sanchez-Villa and junior John Moremen, the team claimed sixth place in overall sweepstakes. Trinity celebrates Catholic Schools Week Trinity joined thousands of other Catholic schools across the nation to celebrate Catholic Schools Week. This year’s theme, “Catholic Schools Raise the Standards,” focused on the recent launch of national standards and benchmarks for all Catholic schools. These benchmarks were established to help Catholic schools excel above all others. Several Trinity students represented the Rocks at a Mass on Jan. 29 celebrating Catholic Schools Week with Archbishop Joseph Kurtz. Rocks celebrate Black History Month February is Black History Month. It is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history. This month, Trinity will recognize Black History Month during advising periods. Each week during Advising, groups can participate in a triva contest and answer questions in reference to Black history. At the end of February the top three advising groups with the most correct answers will receive 1st-, 2nd- and 3rd-place prizes. The first week’s questions were related to African-American inventors. Two Speakers Bureau guests provide information to students Ms. Jada Wilson, representing Organ Donation Program, spoke to juniors and seniors regarding organ donations. * Ms. Sheila Hiestand, representing the Kentucky Justice Association, gave a presentation to juniors and seniors on Distracted Driving. Distracted Driving kills and injures thousands of people every day. The Speakers Bureau is coordinated by Trinity counselor Mr. Steve Ferman.