Thursday, September 16, 2004
19 Kentucky scholars among brightest
National Merit semifinalists cited
By Karen Gutierrez
Enquirer staff writer
Maybe it's the goetta. Michael Glier, 17, is the only home-schooled student among Northern Kentucky's 19 semifinalists for a National Merit Scholarship.
He's also the son of Dan Glier, president of Glier's Meats. It's famous for goetta, the pork-and-oatmeal concoction that is a curiosity of Greater Cincinnati cuisine.
![[img]](merit2.jpg)
Michael Glier, 17, of Hebron, is a semi-finalist for the National Merit Scholarship.
(Enquirer photo/STEVEN M. HERPPICH)
|
"I don't think I can make that jump," Dan Glier said, "but we do eat it a lot of the time."
National Merit semifinalists have a shot at 8,200 scholarships worth $33.9 million to various colleges. Winners will be announced in the spring. High-school juniors are automatically entered into the competition when they take the Preliminary SAT. Their score determines whether they become semifinalists. To advance, semifinalists must complete a detailed application, be recommended by their schools and earn SAT scores similar to their PSAT results.
Of Northern Kentucky's other semifinalists, three came from Conner High School in Hebron, the highest number at any one school.
Dixie Heights in Edgewood had two students on the list, as did Highlands in Fort Thomas, Ryle in Union and Villa Madonna Academy in Villa Hills.
One student was a semifinalist from each of the following schools: Bishop Brossart in Alexandria, Boone County High, Calvary Christian in Taylor Mill, Holy Cross in Covington, Holmes in Covington, St. Henry in Edgewood and Walton-Verona High in Walton.
Michael Glier is from Hebron. The only home-schooled student, he's already enrolled at Northern Kentucky University, where this semester he's taking linear algebra, physics, advanced college writing, intermediate Spanish and computer-aided drafting and design.
Off an on through the years, all three of Dan and Elizabeth Glier's children have been home-schooled.
The couple wanted a Christian environment for their kids and a pace quick enough to ward off boredom.
Michael completed four years of high-school Latin in 21/2 years and finished calculus II in the first half of his junior year.
He wants to become an engineer.
"I have seen him work four hours on a problem set in calculus," Dan Glier said.
He and his siblings "know that smart is not easy; it's hard work."
Scholars
These are the national merit semifinalists from Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana:
