Lucas Adams and Andrew Maples from Putnam City North High School have been named National Merit Semifinalists by officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, an honor placing them among the nation’s top high school students.
About 1.5 million juniors in some 22,000 high schools entered the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2010 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. Semifinalists, which represent less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors, are the highest scorers on the qualifying test in each of the 50 states.
The two students now have an opportunity to continue in competition for 8,400 Merit Scholarships, worth more than $34 million, to be offered in the spring.
In order to be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must advance to the finalist level of the competition. To become a finalist, semifinalists must have an outstanding academic record throughout their high school years, be endorsed and recommended by the school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier qualifying test performance. Semifinalists and a school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes students’ self-descriptive essays and information about semifinalists’ participation and leadership in school and community activities.
In February, about 90 percent of semifinalists will find out they have advanced to the finalist level. About half of finalists will be selected as Merit Scholarship winners, earning the title of “Merit Scholar.”
Three types of National Merit Scholarship awards will be offered in the spring. First, every finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 scholarships that will be awarded on a state representational basis. Second, about 1,000 corporate-sponsored scholarships will be provided by approximately 240 corporations and business organizations for finalists who meet their specified criteria, such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located. Third, about 200 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 4,800 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.
Merit Scholarship winners of 2012 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July.
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For More Information
Steve Lindley, Communications Director
(405) 495-5200, x1204
(405) 812-6119
slindley@putnamcityschools.org