Seven Lindbergh High School seniors re-cently were honored by the National Mer-it Scholarship Corp.

Three students, Matthew Brimer, Stephen Hmiel and Christopher Tulk, were named semifinalists in the 2005 Merit Scholarship Competition. The semifinalists are selected from fewer than 1 percent of the nation’s top high school seniors.

These academicallyitalented seniors will compete for Merit Scholarship Awards this spring.

In addition, four students were named Commended Students in the National Merit Competition. Leah Boersig, Nicole Moore, Paul Nauert and Daniel Parker placed among the top 5 percent of students who entered the Merit Program.

Lindbergh’s semifinalists also honored a number of teachers who were influential in their school careers. Those recognized as “Influential Teachers” were: Matt Cooper, high school English; Gail Ellis, former gifted education teacher; Tracy Fisher, high school English; Matt Keutzer – elementary Program for ExceptionallyiGifted Students teacher; Carrie Launius, Long Elementary fifth-grade teacher; KimberlyiLindskog, Sperreng PEGS teacher; Diane O’Leary, Sperreng gifted education teacher; and Jim Wilder III, Sperreng math teacher.

The students and teachers were recognized at the Oct. 12 meeting of the Board of Education and commended for their hard work and dedication.

The board also recognized nine 2004 graduates who earned the International Bacca-laureate Diploma.

The students who completed a rigorous course of study to earn this distinction are Karthik Balaji, Matthew Fellin, Laura Halfmann, Adam LaMore, Cole Mueth, Elaine Podosek, Andrew Richardson, Eric Weisser and Benjamin Wesselschmidt.

To receive the diploma, the students sit for exams in sixiareas of study, including English, foreign language, history of the Americas, biology or chemistry, calculus, and a sixth class that can be a second foreign language, science, computer science or IB art or music. They also completed a 4,000-word extended essay and a course on “Theory of Knowledge.”