SANDPOINT — Two local high school seniors are among the top students in the nation after recently receiving the title of National Merit Scholars.

Isaac Solly from Forrest Bird Charter School, and Adele Marchiando from Sandpoint High School, were named finalists in the National Merit Scholarship program in February. Out of more than 1.6 million students across the nation who entered the competition by taking the qualifying PSAT their junior year, the pair were among 16,000 students named national merit semi-finalists in September. Of the 16,000, approximately 15,000 advanced to the finalist level nationwide.

“It has been really rewarding going through the whole process to become a National Merit finalist and having it all pan out,” Marchiando said, adding that she put in a lot of prep work for the qualifying PSAT, using local tutor Linda Larson. “It has absolutely paid off. I’m hoping that receiving this honor will help open some doors for me in college.

When Solly learned in September that he was named a semi-finalist, it didn’t really come as a surprise since he actually knew he qualified at the end of his junior year. This time, however, he didn’t know if he would get the title of National Merit Scholar.

“I thought it was really cool — I was really excited,” Solly said of being named a finalist.

Solly is on track to receive his associate’s degree in general studies from North Idaho College this year, and will walk with his NIC classmates even before his high school graduation. As a college degree requires a high school diploma, however, he won’t actually receive his associate’s until after the FBCS graduation. He has applied to 14 different colleges across the East and West coasts, he said, with a couple of Ivy League schools on the list as “reach schools.”

He initially planned to study bioengineering, though he recently decided to change his major to political science and history, with a minor in math.

“I felt more passionate about political science,” he said. “With all of the midterm stuff going on recently, I was extremely interested in that. I followed that, which I enjoyed — the political science — and then I’ve also always loved history.”

In addition to his academic success, Solly said he is involved in several clubs and activities, though the biggest thing he is involved with is Cedar Hills Church, where he runs the sound board for the band part time. He has also been the editor of the school paper, “Bird Eye News,” for the past two years. Since he will be graduating this year, Solly is currently training next year’s editor.

Solly’s parents moved to the United States from Britain shortly before he was born, so he has dual citizenship. They lived in Rhode Island and California for a time, he said, before moving to Sandpoint a couple years ago.

Marchiando is also involved in different activities, including the school’s theater program where she is currently serving as the student assistant director in the upcoming production of “Annie,” which will be held around the end of April. Another of her favorites is Academic Decathlon, she said, which her team is preparing to go to state this month.

With aspirations of going into engineering, Marchiando has applied to several colleges including Northwestern University in Chicago, Washington University in St. Louis, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. The specific field of engineering she chooses depends on the school she ultimately ends up going to, but is looking at mechanical systems or robotics.

Marchiando was also recently named a candidate in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, which recognizes and honors some of the nation’s most distinguished graduating students.

Just over 50 high school seniors across the state are in the running for the program, and up to 161 finalists will be chosen nationwide. Finalists are awarded with a trip to Washington, D.C., in June for the National Recognition Program featuring events and enrichment activities, including the Presidential Scholars medallion presentation during a White House-sponsored ceremony.

As for the National Merit program, finalists will now compete for three types of scholarships offered this spring. Each finalist has an opportunity to earn one of 2,500 scholarships in the amount of $2,500 that will be awarded on a state-representational basis.

About 1,000 corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 230 corporations and business organizations for finalists who meet their specified criteria. In addition, about 180 colleges and universities are expected to finance 4,000 college-sponsored scholarship awards for finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.