WEST HARTFORD – Liya Simon, a senior at New England Jewish Academy (NEJA) in West Hartford, has been named a Commended Student in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program, it was announced last week by NEJA principal, Dr. Richard Nabel. 

Simon is among approximately 34,000 Commended Students nationwide recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2021 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2021 competition by taking the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. 

“Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” read a statement released by the National Merit Scholarship Program. “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.” 

Formed in 2019, as a result of a merger between the Bess and Paul Sigel Hebrew Academy of Greater Hartford and Hebrew High School of New England, the New England Jewish Academy is a comprehensive preschool through grade 12 dual-curriculum Orthodox school.