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Semifinalists represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors. They are among the highest-scoring entrants in each state. 

These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.

Hackel, Patel and Zhang bring to 21 the total number of NMS Semifinalists from De Pere High School since 2019.

Each year, the organization evaluates more than 18,000 schools across the country. Rankings are based on six indicators of school quality:

• College readiness
• Breadth of curriculum
• Scores on state proficiency tests
• Performance in reading, math, and science
• Underserved student performance
• Graduation rates

The weighted scores of those six indicators are transformed so each eligible school receives an overall percentile score between zero and 100. De Pere's score was 93.28. High schools are ranked against peers in descending order of their overall scores. Read more about US News and World Report's ranking methodology.

"We appreciate the recognition," says De Pere High School Principal Roger Allen. "It is one more data point that reflects the hard work being done by our students and staff with the support of families and the broader De Pere community."

"I decided to apply to the United States Naval Academy after my brother, Aiden Cartier, had gone through the process," says Andrew. 

"I went with him on his recruiting visit and got to understand the endless opportunities the academy had to offer. When the time came for me to go through the process, I was very set on attending the Academy." 

Andrew not only follows in the footsteps of his brother but also those of his grandfather, Paul, who served in the Navy in Vietnam. 

He was officially accepted into the Naval Academy on April 11. Randy Soquet, his head track coach, says Andrew will have no problem leading the next generation of sailors or Marines.

“One of the characteristics I love about this kid is he strives for excellence,” Soquet said. “He coaches kids around him to be the best they can be."

In 2024, Andrew won the state title in triple jump, beating out brother Aiden who placed 2nd. Andrew says the brothers' goal was to take first and second, regardless of which brother placed where.  

Now Academy Induction Day is fast approaching. 

"My Induction day is June 26. I am so excited to begin this new journey, however, I am definitely a little bit nervous," says Andrew. "I am so thankful for all of my teachers, coaches and especially my family, for always being by my side throughout the process. "

"I am very excited for the growth I will undergo to not only become a more well-rounded individual but the ability to lead others. I am also very excited to be apart of the Naval Academy track and field team. The team environment and coaching staff truly made me feel like this is where I was meant to be."

It was the culmination of the annual Dickinson Cares project that benefits groups in need while showing how kids can make a difference in their community. The program begins with two weeks of collecting donations from families, then the finale is a “build day” where each grade level makes something to give to their charity. 

“It’s not only important for the charities, but we talk with the kids about how did it make you feel to do something for someone else,” said kindergarten teacher Chris Moore, who started the project about 10 years ago. “It’s that idea of doing something without getting anything back, and that service learning feels good, too.”

Each charity provides a “wish list” which is shared with Dickinson families for the donation drive portion of the project. For example, the first graders brought in personal hygiene items for the St. John the Evangelist Homeless Shelter in Green Bay. Other grade levels collected donations for the Exceptional Equestrians equine therapy program; Foster the Village which supports foster children; and Heaven’s Touch Ministries for women and children. 

The kindergarteners’ families contributed canned and boxed foods for the De Pere Christian Outreach pantry. Altogether, the four classrooms filled about eight boxes with food. 

“They are so excited to put their items in the donation box and to show their friends and teachers what they have brought,” kindergarten teacher Mari Mlynczak said. “We are very lucky in De Pere. When we ask for something or say we need help with donations, the community never disappoints.”

On the build day, each kindergarten student decorated and wrote positive messages on grocery bags that were given to the pantry along with the food. They received a visit from Amy Murphy, DPCO executive director, who shared that the pantry has seen a 20 percent increase in clients over the past year. 

“It truly takes an entire community to help our food pantry to be able to help our neighbors in need,” Murphy said. “The personalized bags the kids color and decorate make it a very special touch.”

Third-grade families sent in baby diapers and wipes, shoes and clothing for Foster the Village. On build day, the students used fabric markers and sharpies to decorate canvas bags to be used while shopping at the charity’s store. 

All Dickinson students received a sticker to wear that said, “Ask Me How I Made a Difference”. 

“(Students) said things like, ‘I helped a child in foster care by giving clothes and diapers to help make their life easier,’ ” teacher Allison Schlader said.

Other activities on build day included the first graders designing placemats for the St. John homeless shelter. Exceptional Equestrians received no-bake horse treats and stimulation toys from the second graders. And the fourth grade students made tie blankets for Heaven’s Touch. 

To help with that project, Moore used monetary donations to purchase fleece from a local fabric store where she attracted some curious inquiries. 

“When you have (so many) bolts of fabric in your cart, folks will ask what you are making,” she said. “To be able to explain to others out in public about the project has been really neat. I’ve always gotten a very positive (reaction).”

Dickinson Cares ties in with the school’s social studies curriculum as each grade level reads a book about the concepts of caring and serving populations in need. Students also watch a video that introduces their grade’s charitable organization and how it will benefit.

“It’s so valuable for elementary students to see that their hard work and giving attitude pays off,” Schlader said. “This year (third graders) partnered up with our ‘Bird Buddies’ who are first graders, and shared with them what we did and what they did. Then we had an all-school assembly and got to see what the other grades made.”

By Kerry Guyette, Contributing Writer
 

What are the School and District Report Cards?

As part of the state accountability system, the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) produces report cards for every publicly funded school and district in Wisconsin. These report cards include data on multiple indicators for multiple years across four priority areas (Achievement, Growth, Target Group Outcomes, and On-track to Graduation). In addition, the report cards provide course and program participation information for grades 9-12 for public schools and districts. 

How Did De Pere Perform?

Report cards released in November 2024 showed USDD achieved the rating of Significantly Exceeds Expectations in the 2023-24 school year with a composite score of 83.2. No other school district in northeast Wisconsin ranked as highly as USDD, and the composite score puts the District as the 9th highest scoring among Wisconsin's other 4K-12 districts.

De Pere’s overall score increased by about a point and a half this year, which was enough to rise from the four-star “exceeds expectations” ranking to the five-star “significantly exceeds expectations.” USDD is one of only 29 Wisconsin districts whose rating increased. Since 2020-21, the district’s score has grown by five points. 

View Districtwide and school-by-school information.