Three Camden Catholic High School have been recognized for academic achievement by the National Merit Scholarship Program.

Kuyill Ponnappan is a 2026 National Merit semifinalist, and Andrew George and Declan Rotter were both named Commended Students in the program.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual competition based on academic achievements among high-school juniors to recognize their accomplishments and offer scholarships for their undergraduate studies.

The program is conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. High-school students enter by taking the PSAT or the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, an initial screening for 1.3 million entrants each year.

Ponnappan had been studying for the competition; one of her two older siblings was a Commended Scholar herself.

“I kind of wanted to, like, beat her, but I was shocked when I received this honor,” Ponnappan acknowledged. “But I thought it was something to really be proud of. And my parents were obviously really proud of me, and I feel like it was a really big thing for our school.”

Ponnappan’s study involved use of the College Board practice tests. She plans to be on the pre-med track in college, though she has yet to decide on a school.

Ponnappan is one of approximately 16,000 semifinalists this year who will continue the competition, with 7,000 scholarships worth nearly $26 million set to be offered in the spring of next year. 

Semifinalists must fulfill several further requirements to advance to the finalist level. Of those at that level, about half win scholarships and the title of Merit Scholar. The title is achieved by less than 1% of high-school seniors and includes the highest scoring entrants from each state.

Rotter and George are among 34,000 Commended Students recognized in the U.S., though they will not continue on in the competition.

George, who plans to study occupational therapy in college, credited the faculty and staff at Camden Catholic for his achievements, along with his own dedication to his academic life. 

“I would say that this honor is exemplary of not only my hard work over the past four years, but also Camden Catholic’s mission of academic integrity …” he noted. “It’s so prestigious, and to be recognized nationally for the work that everyone puts in here, I couldn’t be prouder.”

Rotter, who plans to maor in engineering, said he was proud of how much he improved his own math scores, though his scores in the language arts section of the test were still overall higher.

“While I was still a little better at reading, my math score went way up,” he recalled. “So getting this achievement feels like recognition of the time and effort I put into achieving higher math scores.”

All three students said their scores for the PSAT from previous years were not to the level they would have wanted, but they nonetheless encouraged other students to try to improve themselves. 

“For the freshman-sophomore PSAT, my scores for those were not good,” Ponnappan admitted. “So honestly, disregard those, because they don’t really count for anything. And don’t be disheartened if those scores aren’t good, because mine were, like, you would not expect.

“So just always remain positive and believe in yourself.”

The township provided apple cider, donuts, fruit and coffee to older adults at its inaugural Senior Coffee and Connection event on Oct. 8, the first of its kind in Cherry Hill.

Participants at the Carmen Tilelli Community Center not only ate, but learned about available senior clubs and activities.

“This is one of the best events that we have for seniors,” said Councilman Daniel DiRenzo. “We were able to give them a lot of information that will be helpful to them.”

Every week, clubs for seniors meet to play Bingo; hear speakers on topics relevant to older adults; play cards; or line dance, among other activities. The Maturity, Retirees and Super Seniors clubs are also resources for the kind of community and social engagement that can lead to longer life spans.

Pat Kenny, president of the Super Seniors, set up a display at the Coffee and Connection event showcasing its activities.

“We try to involve our seniors in deciding what happens in our club,” she noted. “Our first meeting of the month is what we call a business meeting, and it’s usually based around the theme of the month.”

September’s theme coincided with Hispanic Heritage Month, so the club made burritos, read poetry in both English and Spanish and lunched on food from Spanish speaking countries. Kenny said that members without transportation can get help from others who drive, as well from the Cherry Hill bus service for residents 62 and older with a reservation.

Senior Coffee and Connection also provided dance lessons to attendees, led by Gene Naidas.

“I think dancing is one of the best things for seniors because you become physical,” Naidas explained. “So you move … you exercise your thinking, because you’ve got to remember the dances … The most important thing is like, when you make a mistake, there’s a smile on your face.”

The township conducted a survey at the end of the event on the needs of seniors and services that would most benefit them, and the Super Seniors Club held one of its meetings.