More students from Over the Mountain schools have been named 2013 National Merit Scholar Semifinalists.
National Merit Scholars are determined by students’ test scores on the Preliminary SAT. Students usually take the test during their junior year of high school.
The students named National Merit Scholar Semifinalists represent less than 1 percent of all U.S. high school seniors and have the highest scores on the PSAT in the state. This year, the National Merit Scholarship Corp. announced the names of about 16,000 semifinalists in the 58th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
Semifinalists have the opportunity to continue in the competition for 8,300 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million. The National Merit Scholar winners will be announced in the spring.
Semifinalists are now involved in the qualification process to become finalists.
Out of a class of 49 seniors, the Altamont School had two students named semifinalists: Stephen McMahon of Homewood and Olivia Dure of Birmingham.
Indian Springs School in North Shelby County has four National Merit Scholar Semifinalists for 2013: Caleb Caldwell, Bowen Lu, Benjamin Kitchens and Victoria Sanchez.
Additionally, several students from Over the Mountain schools were named semifinalists in the National Achievement Scholarship Program.
The students were among more than 16,000 black American high school seniors recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corp.
More than 160,000 high school juniors from across the country requested consideration in the Achievement Scholarship Program when they took the 2011 PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Semifinalists are designated within geographic regions and are the highest-scoring students in the states that make up each region.
To advance to the finalist level, students must submit detailed scholarship applications, their school records and information on their leadership abilities, educational goals and participation in school and community activities.
The Alabama School of Fine Arts had two students named 2012 National Achievement semifinalists. They are Zavier Mason and Yasminye D. Pettway.
The Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School had three students honored. They are Imani A. Alexander, Tamunotonte A. Ene-Korubo and Morgen A. Owens.
Ryan M. Hall was the National Achievement Scholarship semifinalist from Oak Mountain High School.
In Hoover City Schools, Corey McCloud and Khalil M. Saadiq were Hoover High School’s semifinalists. Spain Park High’s semifinalists were Francois Barreau, Simone N. Charley and Dion Hagan.
Indian Springs School had two semifinalists in the 2013 National Achievement Scholarship Program. They are Ashley K. Graham and Temilola M. Ransome-Kuti.
These scholastically talented young men and women now have an opportunity to continue in the competition for approximately 800 Achievement Scholarship awards worth more than $2.5 million that will be offered next spring.
