Six Duval County Public Schools' (DCPS) students from Stanton College Preparatory School were among more than 2,500 National Merit Scholarship finalists announced today by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).
"These students have proven to be some of the most talented students our nation has to offer," said Ed Pratt-Dannals, Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools. "The National Merit Scholarship Program has provided these students with the financial backing needed to help them flourish in post-secondary education."
National Merit® $2,500 Scholarship winners were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors. The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s high school graduating seniors. These scholars may use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university.
Scholar selection was based on committee members’ appraisal of a substantial amount of information submitted by finalists and their high schools. Evaluated were each finalist’s academic record, including the difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from two standardized tests; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay describing interests and goals; and a recommendation written by a high school official.
2008 National Merit Scholarship Competition
This year's competition for National Merit Scholarships began in October 2006 when more than 1.4 million juniors in over 21,000 high schools took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants.
Last fall, the highest-scoring participants in each state, representing less than one percent of the state’s seniors, were named Semifinalists on a state representational basis. Only the 16,000 Semifinalists had an opportunity to continue in the competition.
Approximately 15,000 Semifinalists met the very high academic standards and other requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. By the conclusion of the 2008 program, about 8,200 Finalists will earn the “Merit Scholar” title and receive a total of more than $36 million in college scholarships.
NMSC, a not-for-profit corporation that operates without government assistance, was founded in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The majority of scholarships offered each year are underwritten by approximately 500 independent corporate and college sponsors that share NMSC's goals of honoring scholastically talented youth and enhancing their educational opportunities.
DCPS' Winners - Stanton College Preparatory School
Rewa Choudhary
Catherine Dietrich
Benjamin Furtick
Yang Ge
Brendan Hainline
Jay Parikh
