STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Pandemic aside, the month of May has been good to Sun Valley Community School student Johnny Hagenbuch.

Hagenbuch has won a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship, earning him the title of National Merit Scholar, alongside Wood River High School’s Zoe Simon

And the 18-year-old Community School senior has been named to the U.S. Cross County D team for the second year in a row.

Hagenbuch and Simon were two of 13 Idaho students who were among 7,500 National Merit Scholarship winners chose from 15,000 distinguished finalists. They were chosen on the basis of their academic record, participation in school and community activities, their demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, honors and awards.

Hagenbuch hopes to study biotechnology; Simon, computer engineering.

Hagenbuch and his Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation cohort Sydney Palmer-Leger were nominated this month to the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team for the 2020-21 season. Hagenbuch was the youngest named to the U.S. Ski Team when he made it last year.

Hagenbuch won the 2020 Boulder Mountain Tour in February, finishing with room to breathe ahead of a tight pack. He finished third the year before.

He also was part of the U.S. ski relay team that successfully defended its team relay gold in the men’s 4x5-kilometer competition in the 2020 FIS Junior Cross-Country World Championships in Oberwiesenthal, Germany.

He was part of a team that made U.S. history bringing home America’s first ever under-20 cross country gold medal in the 4x5-kilometer relay at the 2019 Junior World Championships in Lathi, Finland.

Palmer-Leger was on the U.S. junior women’s relay team that took the silver medal in the women’s 3x3.3-kilometer race.

“We are obviously very proud of Johnny’s many accomplishments in the classroom and as an athlete who was named to the U.S. ski Team last year,” said Head of School Ben Pettit. “Johnny’s drive in all endeavors is unparalleled and his thirst for knowledge is insatiable. We are excited to see where his path leads in the future, but we will certainly miss having him as our student.”