DANBURY — Three Immaculate High School seniors have been named Commended Students in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program, an annual academic competition among high school students for recognition and college undergraduate scholarships.

The commended students from Immaculate’s Class of 2025 are Ryan Beverly of Bethel, Emma Scheckner of Redding, and Alicia Ventresca of Sandy Hook. They are among only 34,000 students nationwide who are designated as Commended Students.

Immaculate Head of School Wendy Neil said she is incredibly proud of Beverly, Scheckner, and Ventresca for their exceptional academic performance.

“This distinction is testament to their consistent dedication to excellence in all aspects of their God given talents,” Neil continued. “By beginning PSAT practice tests as early as freshman year, we make sure our upperclassmen are well-prepared for the SAT.”

Students entered the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test last October. In April, National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which manages the program, identified the 50,000 highest scorers.

Some 16,000 of those high performers were recently designated Semifinalists on a state representational basis. Among these 16,000 students is Immaculate senior Hannah Trotman of Ridgefield. As a Semifinalist, she has the opportunity to continue in the Merit Scholarship competition and advance to Finalist standing by meeting a number of additional requirements.