VB senior receives National Merit Commendation

VAN BUREN — Van Buren Local Schools senior David Cavera has received the title of Commended Student in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program. Van Buren High School principal Kevin Shoup presented the Letter of Commendation from the school as well as the National Merit Scholarship to Cavera. He is one of roughly 34,000 commended students throughout the nation being recognized for their academic accolades. While Cavera may not be continuing on in the competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, he did place among the top 50,000 students who entered the competition through taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. "Those being named commended students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success," a spokesperson for NMSC said in a release from the district. "These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success." Cavera is joining Van Buren High School 2025 graduate Nigel Woodall as a National Merit Commended Student. Previous National Merit Finalists to represent the district include 2017 graduate Justen Stall and 2018 Autumn Pisarsky.