National Merit Students at Convocation (from left): Dalton Weed, Caleb Allison, Kenneth Wong, Aron Hawkins, Madeleine McMillan, Todd Deetjen, Matthew Hulke, Kennedy Collins, Kirie Psaromatis and Mary Jane Stidham
In September, Liberty Christian students Caleb Allison and Kenneth Wong were named Semifinalists inbrthe 61st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Out ofbrapproximately 1.5 million juniors from more than 22,000 high schools who enteredbrthe 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2015 PreliminarybrSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), Caleb and Kennethbrwere among 16,000 students who achieved this Semifinalist status. Thesebracademically talented Upper School seniors have an opportunity to continue inbrthe competition for some 7,400 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32brmillion that will be offered next spring.
To become a Finalist, Semifinalistsbrand their school must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which theybrprovide information about the Semifinalists' academic record, participation inbrschool and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employmentbrhistory, and honors and awards received. Semifinalists must have an outstandingbracademic record throughout Upper School, be endorsed and recommended by abrschool official, write an essay, and earn SAT scores that confirm their earlierbrperformance on the qualifying test.
From the approximatelybr16,000 Semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalistbrlevel, and in February they will be notified of this designation. All nationalbrMerit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. MeritbrScholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments,brand potential for success in rigorous college studies.
National MeritbrScholarship winners of 2016 will be announced beginning in April and concludingbrin July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 315,000 otherbrdistinguished students who have earned the Merit Scholar title since thebrprogram began 61 years ago.
Liberty Christian Schoolbrhas 10 recently Commended students in the 2016 National Merit ScholarshipbrProgram: Kennedy Collins, Todd Deetjen, Aron Hawkins, Matthew Hulke, MadeleinebrMcMillan, Kirie Psaromatis, Mary Jane Stidham and Dalton Weed.
About 34,000 CommendedbrStudents throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptionalbracademic promise. Commended Students place among the top five percent of morebrthan 1.5 million students who entered the 2016 competition by taking the 2014 PSAT/NMSQT.
“The young men and womenbrbeing named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential forbracademic success,” said a spokesperson for NMSC in a press release. “Thesebrstudents represent a valuable national resource; recognizing theirbraccomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academicbrdevelopment, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in ourbrnation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educationalbropportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academicbrsuccess.”
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