Minnesota Valley Lutheran (MVL) seniors Elizabeth Halvorson and Henry Manthe were both recognized and named as 2026 National Merit Commended Scholars.

NEW ULM – Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School seniors Elizabeth Halvorson and Henry Manthe were both recognized and named as commended scholars by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

The National Merit program honors individual students who show academic ability and potential for success in college studies.

Over 1.3 million juniors in about 20,000 high schools entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Of the top 50,000, Halvorson and Manthe were among the 34,000 students to receive letters of commendation for their outstanding academic achievements.

Manthe said he was excited to get the commendation. He had known that his PSAT score was in the range for commended status, but had not been certain he would get it until the announcement was made last week.

Halvorson said it came as a surprise to her, but said it was exciting to receive the same status as Manthe.

“Henry is really smart,” she said.

Then she remembered that two years ago, her brother Ben Halvorson also received commended status after taking the test.

“Now I want to know how I ranked compared to him,” she said.

Asked how they prepared for taking the PSAT, Halvorson and Manthe said it was a difficult test to study for because of the broad range of questions.

“What I always tell people, there is not really studying to be done,” Manthe said. “It’s more of practicing.”

He explained that with the PSAT or ACT, there is no way of knowing what specific questions will be on the test.

“The hardest part is timing and strategy,” he said. “If you don’t know the answer, how long do you spend on it before moving on?”

Halvorson agreed it was important to know when to give up on a question and try to answer the ones you know. She felt the test was really a culmination of all their school work.

“It’s putting together everything you have ever learned your entire life,” Halvorson said. “There is nothing you really study for; it’s whether you paid attention in school.”

Similar to the ACT, the PSAT tests students on several areas, including reading, math and science.

Manthe said math was his best category.

“I understand it,” he said. “It’s kind of fun to challenge myself that way.”

Reading was the hardest section for him.

“You get big chunks of reading and then answer 10 questions on each,” Manthe said. “It is super time-consuming.”

Halvorson said she was the opposite of Manthe, with reading being her best subject and struggling the most in math.

“Reading is the easiest part for me,” she said. “It’s pretty straightforward for me.”

Looking to the future, Halvorson and Manthe are both looking to continue their education beyond high school, but are still looking at their options.

Manthe said he is leaning towards studying engineering.

“It is something I’ve had an interest in for a long time,” he said. “It combines math, science and problem solving.”

Halvorson said she wants to be a higher education teacher.

“I am thinking of a science teacher, maybe a physics professor,” she said.

However, Halvorson and Manthe still have their senior year to complete. Both students are members of the MVL student council and participate in the drama department. Halvorson and Manthe encourage everyone to see them in MVL’s fall play. This year, the school is performing “Clue” with Halvorson playing Mrs. Peacock and Manthe playing Col. Mustard.