BATH

Kyle Hietala has served with poise and distinction as a Morse High School student representative on the Regional School Unit 1 Board of Directors.

The Morse senior was elected governor during the American Legion’s 66th annual Dirigo Boys State program this past summer.

Earlier this month, Hietala, of West Bath, added another distinction to his high school resume: He is among 16,000 students nationwide named as a semifinalist in the 59th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

RSU 1 Superintendent Patrick Manuel, who has sat alongside Hietala at many school board meetings, is well aware of his capabilities.

“It is quite an honor for Kyle to be selected as a National Merit semifinalist but it is no surprise to those of us who know him,” Manuel said. “He has a very bright future ahead of him.”

As a National Merit semifinalist, Hietala is competing for 8,000 National Merit Scholarships worth about $35 million, to be offered next spring. Scholarships are underwritten by National Merit with its own funds, and by approximately 440 businesses and higher education institutions.

The nationwide pool of semifinalists represents less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors, who took the 2012 Preliminary SAT qualifying tests.

Hietala is a top scholar at Morse, having taken the most rigorous course schedule available. He has earned the recognition of AP Scholar with Distinction, having taken seven AP exams with an average exam score of 4.7.

He is the son of Thomas and Heather Hietala of West Bath, and, he says, a student of many fine Morse teachers.

“My parents always have been extremely encouraging and supportive of me, without putting a lot of pressure on me,” Hietala said. “I’m motivated to please them, rather than not to displease them. I’ve had excellent parenting and teaching.”

Hietala also has praise for guidance counselor Leslie Trundy.

“She has been a world of help to me and a world of support to me,” he said. “She’s phenomenal.”

It is his goal, Hietala said, to earn the National AP Scholar award, which requires an average score of 4 on at least 8 AP exams. The additional four AP courses he is taking as a senior will afford him this opportunity.

Hietala has received 17 academic excellence awards while a student at Morse and is the treasurer of the Morse chapter of the National Honor Society. He was selected as one of 10 students within the state to be recognized with the Princeton Book Award. It was the first time in 12 years a student from Morse was selected.

“Kyle has been an outstanding school citizen at Morse,” said Trundy. “He was instrumental in reviving the Morse Debate Team and is a two-time state champion. He started a middle school debate club to help build interest and membership at the high school level.”

Hietala founded a mentoring program from elementary and middle school students in partnership with the Patten Free Library. Within this program, high school students are paired with a younger student to work on homework and develop positive relationships. In his sophomore year, Hietala was selected to participate in the Rotary Youth Leadership program and was asked to return at the end of his junior year as a alumni mentor.

Trundy spared no superlatives in discussing Hietala.

“It is hard not to be gushy about Kyle Hietala,” she said. “What I didn’t say before is what a gentleman he is, the caring way he approachs his involvement at Morse. It is not just about Kyle getting to the top but as he said during his platform speech as the governor of Dirigo Boy’s State.

“He believes in fiscal responsibility, individual freedoms and being his brother’s keeper. For the last four years, Kyle has elevated Morse simply by being part of our learning community. He crosses clique lines and engages authentically with all kinds of people no matter their background or common interests they may or may not share. His caring nature, inquisitive mind and thoughtful focus have made many things Bath better.”

Hietala plans to attend an Ivy League school next autumn, perhaps majoring in history or philosophy.

“Much of my success in debate centers around philosophy,” he said. “It’s critical thinking.”

Like hundreds of students before him, Hietala is a trueblue Morse Shipbuilder. He plans to join the Bath Alumni Association the day after graduation.

“I am a Shipbuilder through and through,” he said.

Finalists are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments and potential for success in “rigorous college studies.”

Other National Merit semifinalists from Maine include: Madeline Cowan, Kathryn A. Eldgridge, Tessa J. Hauptman, Walter Martin, Zachary I. Miller, Joseph Waring, of Brunswick High School; Emma A. Cota, Ellison S. Etnier, Jonah S. Levy, of Mt. Ararat High School, Topsham; and Samuel M. Alexander, of Yarmouth High School.