7 Named National Merit Semifinalists

Seven Cherokee County area high school seniors were named 2012 National Merit semifinalists today.

The designation, which is based on performance on the 2010 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, allows the students to compete for about 8,300 scholarships worth more than $34 million.

Three of the semifinalists—Michelle D. Stephenson of Canton and Elizabeth A. Ake and Dayton K. Humbles of Woodstock—are homeschooled, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation said in a news release.

's Matthew R. Bird and Philip T. Litrel, 's Kaitlyn E. Boerner and 's James R. Newton round out the list of seven.

About 1.5 million juniors in 22,000 high schools took the 2010 PSAT. Only 16,000 were named National Merit semifinalists.

To earn finalist status, students must have a superior academic record, a recommendation from their principal and an SAT score that's equivalent to or higher than their PSAT score. They must also submit an application along with an essay.

About 15,000 semifinalists will become finalists in February. Of that number, more than half will be awarded scholarships in the spring.

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For more information on the National Merit Scholarship Program, open the PDF on this page.