Craig, Yao named Commended Students by National Merit Scholarship Program

Seniors Jackson Craig and Jackie Yao have been named Commended Students in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter of Commendation from Darlington School and the National Merit Scholarship Program will be presented to these students.

"We're incredibly proud of Jackson and Jackie for receiving their Letter of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Program," said Director of Upper School Chad Woods. "Their hard work and dedication sets a strong example for our school community."

Craig has taken eight Honors and eight AP courses at Darlington and is currently enrolled in five AP courses. He is a member of the robotics team, serves as president of the Tiger Tutors and has served as a camp counselor for Darlington's Nature Nuts and Maker Challenge Camps. In the community, Craig has served as a YMCA Camp Ocoee ambassador, volunteers on the 7 Hills Fellowship serve team and has taught basic robot coding and design classes to children at Lovejoy Baptist Church. He is the son of Natalie and Steven Craig of Rome. 

Yao has taken three Honors and six AP courses at Darlington. She is currently enrolled in five AP courses. During her time at Darlington, Yao has been a member of the Green Team, the Darlington Players' stage crew and the JV volleyball team. Off campus, she has worked with the Sea Education Association on Cape Cod and as a researcher at the Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Yao is the daughter of Jie Shen and Yi Yao of Shanghai, China. 

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2027 competition by taking the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).