Four Oak Mountain High School students have been named National Merit Semifinalists for the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program competition.
Among the semifinalists are students Armeen Barghi, Kathryn Holt, William Laycock and Colby Wetzel.
“We are incredibly proud of our students,” Principal Kristi Sayers of Oak Mountain High School said.
“To receive such recognition,” Sayers said, “is a testament to the students’ academic ability as well as their commitment to academic success.”
Qualification for entrance in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program was based on high school juniors’ scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
“As a community,” Sayers said, “Oak Mountain has high expectations for all of our students. Beginning in our elementary schools, parents, teachers and students expect our students to be academically prepared and academically challenged.”
“These students,” she said, “have certainly met the challenge.”
If they so desire, these honored high school seniors may continue in the competition for consideration of 7,500 National Merit Scholarships amounting to more than $33 million total.
In order to advance to finalist standing, each semifinalist must submit an application and essay, receive endorsement and recommendation by a high school official, maintain an outstanding academic record and earn an SAT score confirming his or her preliminary performance.
Applicants are assessed according to their projected success in rigorous studies, as determined by the quality of their skills and accomplishments.
An estimated 15,000 semifinalists of the approximately 16,000 semifinalists across the United States of America are expected to advance to the finalist level.
Finalists will be announced in February 2017.
