September 17, 2004
Area Students Named Merit Semifinalists
Seventeen Ohio Valley students have been recognized as semifinalists in the 2005 National Merit Scholarship Program.
They are:
Maria R. Beigel, home schooled, Wintersville;
Jesse M. Bierce, John Marshall High School;
Sarah E. Stipetich, John Marshall High School;
Ian M. Hicks, Weir High School;
Duane C. Littleton, Weir High School;
Kailey A. Ruszkowski, Weir High School;
William S. Przybysz, Wheeling Central Catholic High School;
Kathryn A. Brubaker, The Linsly School;
Aaron J. Couch, The Linsly School;
Hari Kasiraja, The Linsly School;
Robert H. Squibb, The Linsly School;
Courtney R. Delgado, Wheeling Park High School;
Brian M. Jeffries, Wheeling Park High School;
Mitchell A. Kosowski, Wheeling Park High School;
Nate D. Swearington, Wheeling Park High School;
Robert C. Tappe, Wheeling Park High School;
Brittney L. Warnick, Wheeling Park High School.
More than 16,000 semifinalists, who are academically talented high schools seniors, now have the opportunity to compete for some 8,200 Merit Scholarship awards to be offered in the spring of next year.
According to information provided by the National Merit Scholarship Program, nearly 1.3 million students in 21,000 high schools nationwide entered the competition by taking the 2003 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which is used by NMSC as an initial screen of entrants.
Representing less than 1 percent of each state's high school seniors, semifinalists are the highest-scoring program entrants in each state, and they are the only participants who have an opportunity to advance in the competition for Merit Scholarship awards to be offered next spring. Three types of scholarships, worth a total of about $33.9 million, will be underwritten by about 500 independent sponsor organizations and institutions as well as by NMSC with its own funds.
To advance to the final competition, students must meet additional standards and requirements. Nearly all semifinalists are 12th-graders who will enter college in the fall of 2005. Some accelerated their high school programs and are already enrolled as college freshmen.
