Einstein Student Seeks Academic Challenges

For the first time in more than a decade, a student at Albert Einstein High School in Kensington has been recognized as a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist. 

Stuart Hunter Shippey IV, a 17-year-old senior at Albert Einstein High School, learned in early September that he was one of the approximately 16,000 students nationwide whose PSAT/NMSQT have qualified them to compete for a college scholarship through the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

"He is a unique person – focused, a risk-taker," said Joseph Monte, the school guidance counselor who is helping Shippey prepare his application for the final round of the scholarship competition. "He is the kind of person who is always willing to implement what he has learned."

For Shippey, learning seems to be a passion. He is enrolled in the school's International Baccalaureate (IB) program, a rigorous academic program that many educators characterize as one of the most challenging curricula in secondary education. Despite his IB course load, Shippey currently holds an unweighted grade point average of 3.14 and earned a perfect score on the mathematics section of the PSAT. He credits the educational opportunities he has had as a student in Montgomery County as one of the reasons for his academic achievements.

"Although I think that academic success is entirely driven by the student, I've just had more chances to pursue more rigorous material and challenge myself," Shippey said. "I believe in Montgomery County if you want to challenge yourself – if you want to reach for the stars – you can!"

Shippey, en eloquent young man who uses words like "existential" and "bombastic" with such ease and confidence that is easy to forget he is not yet even a high school graduate, has pursued challenges outside of the classroom as well.   

"My true passion is film," he said. "I actually have my video camera in my backpack right now.  I'm shooting a documentary to chronicle the progress we make [in the theater program] this season towards the eventual performance of our play, 'Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.' "

Shippey is considering a career in filmmaking and although he has not yet begun the college application process – he says he is still researching his options – film school at New York University is at the top of his list.

"He will likely make it in film," Monte said. "He has the disposition for it and the talent.  He is a refreshing personality."

Shippey says that he is proud to have been named as a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist, but that academic achievement will not be the focus of his final year at Albert Einstein High School.

"Academics are a big part of my life, and it's something that I care about; but it's not family, it's not friends, it's not art," Shippey said. "I just want to take in every last thing high school has to offer before I move on to bigger things."

National Merit Scholarship semifinalists have the chance to become National Merit Scholarship recipients based on their academic skills, extracurricular accomplishments and potential for success at college, according to the scholarship corporation's website. The corporation expects to grant approximately 8,400 scholarships between March and July 2011. Each recipient will receive $2,500 towards their college education. Last year, 62 Montgomery County students won National Merit Scholarships.