Matthew Kindberg, Southwestern High School principal, is pictured with James Nowling, a 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program Commended Student.

James Nowling, a member of the Class of 2026 at Southwestern High School, has been named “Commended Student” in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Commended students number approximately 34,000 annually and are recognized for demonstrating exceptional academic promise. Principal Matthew Kindberg presented a letter of commendation from the school and the National Merit Scholarship Program to Nowling on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.

Although they will not continue in the 2026 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2026 competition by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.