Seven students of MSSM named semifinalists in 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program

Officials with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced on Sept. 9 that approximately 16,000 students, including seven students of the Maine School of Science and Mathematics, have been named semifinalists in the 60th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
“These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth about $33 million that will be offered next spring,” officials said. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition.
Local semifinalists at MSSM are Michael Coyne, Rebecca Hatt, Max Kay, Andrew Reilley, Josephine Sehon, George Spahn and Hannah Stetson.
About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and more than half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
About 1.4 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2013 Preliminary ?National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants.
To become a finalist, the semifinalists must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about their academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.
From the approximately 16,000 semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the finalist level, which will be announced in February of 2015.