Saint John’s Prep’s Matthew Bolton Named National Merit Semi-Finalist

Bolton Among 16,000 Students Honored Nationwide

Saint John’s Prep Senior Matthew Bolton, son of Nicole and Aaron Bolton of Sartell is a semi-finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Matthew is also the older brother of Amanda ’25 and Sarah ’25 Bolton.

Matthew is one of the 16,000 students nationwide to earn the honor as semi-finalist. He is among the academically talented high school seniors who now have the opportunity to continue in the competition for scholarships worth $33 million. He is one of the top scorers of the PSAT/NMSQT® in the United States and Minnesota.

At Saint John’s Prep, Bolton is president of the National Honor Society and co-president of German Club. Bolton is a member of the baseball, basketball and cross country teams. He was named to the all-conference baseball team in 2019 and 2021. Matthew is a member of the Saint John’s Prep Knowledge Bowl team and a 2021 Minnesota Class A Knowledge Bowl State Champion. Matthew is also president of the SJP Chess Club and serves as captain of the Esports chess team.

Matthew is grateful for the opportunities to pursue his passions while attending Saint John’s Prep. “Because we have small class sizes and a community of teachers and students at SJP who want you to succeed, I have always felt challenged to be the best that I can be both academically and outside of the classroom. I would love to pick a favorite class, but I like them all!”

Matthew studied in Melk, Austria during the 2019-20 school year and plans to pursue German, among other subjects, in college. “I have many interests in math, science, geography and social studies which I hope to pursue in college and plan to double major in German.”

Within the Central Minnesota community, Matthew is a dedicated volunteer. He serves is a team leader among the youth volunteers at the St. Cloud Hospital. Matthew also plays baseball with the Sartell VFW travelling team and supports youth baseball.

The National Merit^® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®)–a test which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.5 million entrants each year–and by meeting published program entry/participation requirements.

Founded in 1857, Saint John’s Prep is a Catholic/Benedictine private day and boarding school located on the campus of Saint John’s University in Collegeville, MN. Saint John’s Prep provides students, of all faiths, in grades 6-12 with a college-preparatory curriculum.  For more information, we encourage you to visit us! Schedule your in-person or virtual visit at www.sjprep.net or call 320-363-3315.

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