MADISON – Thomas C. Casez, a senior at James Clemens High School, earned “Commended Student” status from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

(CONTRIBUTED)

National Merit recognizes commended students in the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students completing the 2012 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

“I took the PSAT my junior year and scored high enough to be in the top end of students,” Casez said. “Though I wasn’t chosen as a National Merit Semifinalist, my score was high enough to warrant a commendation.”

At James Clemens, Casez’ favorite subjects are theatre and JetsPress multimedia publications.

“I’m an art kid by heart. The fact that both of (those classes) allow me to dabble into my favorite hobbies, which include acting, directing, cinematography and writing, makes me look forward to these classes every day,” he said.

“It doesn’t hurt that the teachers genuinely care and are heavily involved in their classes,” Casez said.

With his interest in the arts, Casez devotes many after-school hours to drama and multimedia pursuits. “I mean, just last week, I spent 12 hours filming a short film for JetsPress … a film that wasn’t even part of my assignment, mind you. It truly is a wonderful class,” Casez said.

In community service, Casez has volunteered at Madison Public Library. “I still identify strongly with the staff there and would go back to volunteer again in a heartbeat,” he said.

“College is still a nebulous haze for me,” he said. “In terms of a major, I would either go for journalism or film production.”

Distinguishing between his school life and his hobbies isn’t easy. “Writing, my main interest and the one I would love to pursue full time, is how I spend most of my time outside school … sometimes, writing for hours after I get home,” he said.

“Writing is a fine hobby and one I’m at least moderately decent at, though I’m sure some would disagree quite vehemently,” Casez said.

Thomas’ parents are Bernard and Phoebe Casez.