Altoona student Melissa Crainer named National Merit commended scholar and reports on PGSS at Carnegie Mellon

The Altoona Area School District Board recognized senior Melissa Crainer Tuesday as a 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program commended scholar and heard about her recent participation in the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences (PGSS) at Carnegie Mellon University.

Melissa Crainer told the board PGSS is a residential, five-week program that ran June 22–July 26 last summer at Carnegie Mellon and that it is aimed at encouraging rising seniors to pursue STEM careers. She said applications are submitted during the junior year, with decisions released in May, and that about 15% of applicants are accepted. "It was absolutely life changing," Crainer told the board, describing rigorous undergraduate-level courses in math, physics, chemistry, computer science and biology, laboratory work, and a team research project at the Allegheny Observatory in Pittsburgh.

David Borst, who co-advises the school’s Junior Academy of Science with Megan Cutross, told the board Melissa has been a club member since ninth grade, serves as the club’s president this year and advanced to state-level science meets repeatedly. Borst said 70 students from across Pennsylvania attend PGSS and that last year several Altoona students had attended. He said Melissa was invited to attend PGSS’s closing banquet at Carnegie Mellon and that Melissa’s team worked on an astronomy research project at an observatory affiliated with the program.

Why it matters: The board’s recognition highlights district student achievement and extracurricular programs that support STEM pathways. Melissa told the board the PGSS experience affirmed her plan to pursue a career in chemistry and that the program was free for participating students.

Details reported at the meeting: PGSS scholars take five undergraduate STEM courses during the program and participate in lab courses and team research projects; Melissa said roughly 72 Pennsylvania students attend PGSS in a given year and that about 93% of PGSS scholars go on to earn STEM degrees. She described her team’s nighttime observing at Allegheny Observatory and said the group’s research culminated in a written paper and a presentation at a symposium. Melissa also said she is applying to Penn State and MIT.

Board members and staff congratulated Melissa and praised district staff who advise student clubs. David Borst and Megan Cutross were identified at the meeting as club advisers; the board noted staff contributions to student opportunities across academic and extracurricular programs.

Ending: The board presented Melissa with formal recognition and took a photo; the meeting proceeded to routine business.