8 HPHS students named National Merit semifinalists
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Photo by Helen Williams |
Eight Highland Park High School seniors have been named 2014 National Merit semifinalists. The students are among 16,000 academically talented high school seniors who will continue in the National Merit Scholarship Corporation's competition for 8,000 scholarships worth $35 million that will be offered in the spring.
"We are very proud of each of our students who has achieved this elite accomplishment," HPHS Principal Walter Kelly said. "We know that these students exemplify intelligence, diligence and care for learning. Each of our National Merit semifinalists consistently demonstrates the highest level of academic excellence, and each is deserving of consideration as National Merit finalist candidates."
Students are selected based on performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The semifinalists are among the top 1 percent of high school seniors in the U.S.
Highland Park High School's National Merit semifinalists are:
- Rosa Duncan
- Charles Harper
- Will Hogan
- William Lake
- Chandler Myers
- Nick Palles
- Chloe Sarfatis
- Callie Walter
Approximately 15,000 of the semifinalists are expected to advance to become finalists, and it is from this group that that all National Merit Scholarship winners will be chosen. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies. Three types of Merit Scholarship awards will be offered in the spring of 2014. Every finalist will compete for one of the National Merit $2,500 scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis. In addition, some 240 corporations and business organizations will underwrite 1,000 scholarships 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. Also, about 200 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 4,500 Merit Scholarship awards for finalists who will attend the sponsoring institutions.
The National Merit Corporation will announce scholarship winners for 2014 in four news releases, beginning in April and concluding in July.
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