Several Over the Mountain students have been honored by the National Merit Scholarship Corp.
The students have been named National Achievement Scholarship Semifinalists for the 2015 award year.
The Over the Mountain students are among 1,600 semifinalists nationwide who were culled from a list of more than 160,000 students in the program, which honors outstanding black high school students.
Semifinalists must show a record of high academic performance, get recommendations from someone at their school, write essays and have high SAT scores to be considered for the award.
National Achievement Scholarship Semifinalists from Over the Mountain schools include Colby J. Hollman and Katlin L. Minor, Alabama School of Fine Arts; Keenah Mays, Altamont School; Micah M. Griffin, John Carroll Catholic High School; Tiffany A. Bailey and Carmen D. Stowe, Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School; Korie A. Lefore, Hoover High School; Jacqueline I. Randolph, Spain Park High School; and Victoria F. Morehead, Vestavia Hills High School.
The Over the Mountain students will compete for approximately 800 Achievement Scholarships worth more than $2.5 million that will be awarded next spring.
The National Merit Achievement Scholarship Semifinalists are the latest Over the Mountain students to be honored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
In September, 108 students from Over the Mountain schools were named named 2015 National Merit Scholar Semifinalists, making them among the less than 1 percent of all U.S. high school students to receive the honor. National Merit Scholars are determined by students’ test scores on the Preliminary SAT. Students usually take the test during their junior years of high school.
The Alabama School of Fine Arts and Briarwood Christian School each had two students named Merit Scholar Semifinalists.
Three students from Spain Park High School, four students from Westminster School at Oak Mountain and six students from Indian Springs School were also named semifinalists.
Altamont School, Homewood High School and Oak Mountain High School each had five students named 2015 National Merit Scholar Semifinalists.
Mountain Brook High School had nine students make the semifinalists’ list and Jagger Alexander of Mountain Brook, a student at the Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School was honored as a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist.
There were 11 Hoover High School students named semifinalists this year. Vestavia Hills High School had more semifinalists than any other school in the state with 20 seniors making the list of National Merit Scholar Semifinalists.
About 15,000 semifinalists are expected to advance to the finalist level in February, and more than half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the title of National Merit Scholar, on the basis of their skills, accomplishments and potential for success in rigorous college studies. ϖ