K-M senior takes home a national academic honor

He was in band, playing his trombone, when he got the news: he’d been named a Commended Student in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Adam Darveaux, 18, of Kasson, said he was surprised by the news, which he heard from his Kasson-Mantorville High School principal Trent Langemo back in November.
His parents, he said, are proud.
“He is very humble and just wants the best for people, for his friends and his classmates,” said his mother Sara Darveaux. “He doesn’t seek out a lot of attention so something like this is difficult for him to be in the spotlight. But it’s exciting to be acknowledged for his efforts. He’s always loved learning. I think he’ll be a success anywhere he wants to go.”
“Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” a spokesperson for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation was quoted as saying in a media release. “We hope this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”
About 34,000 commended students throughout the nation are being recognized for their academic promise. Commended students placed among the top 50,000 who entered the 2024 competition by taking the 2022 preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
Darveaux is a senior at K-M High School and is uncertain where he might attend college next year. He is thinking of going into either actuarial science or computer science, he said.
He’s situated in the top 20 of his class, and is hardly embarking on a senior slide this year. Rather, he’s taking challenging courses, such as calculus, physics and advanced placement bio.
“He is a hard worker,” said K-M counselor Jason Henslin. “ He took rigorous classes as a junior too. He’s definitely dedicated in everything he sets out to do.”
Darveaux was one of 5,000 Minnesota students to take the qualifying exam, and he scored in the top 2 percent of his fellow academics, said Henslin.
It isn’t only in academics where Darveaux finds success. He’s also into football, baseball, link crew, knowledge bowl and Big Brothers Big Sisters. He enjoys creative writing and time outside.
Darveaux’s parents are Sara and Mike and he has one sibling, Ryan, age 21.