Eight FHPS seniors have been named National Merit Semifinalists. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the National Merit competition, awarding over 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million. About 95 percent of Semifinalists attain Finalist standing, and about half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. To qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program, students take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) in their junior year, which serves as an initial screen of program entrants. Semifinalists represent less than 1% of the U.S. high school seniors and are designated on a state-representational basis as the highest-scoring entrants in each state. Central High School’s National Merit Semifinalists include Lia Stevenson, Rebecca Maddox, and Carlene Sutherlund. Eastern High School’s National Merit Semifinalists include Evan Gao and Simon Zwart. Northern High School’s National Merit Semifinalists include Emilio Hernandez-Martinez, Benjamin Pease, and Quinn Suvedi. In addition to the eight Semifinalists, FHPS has 33 National Merit Commended students. While these students do not continue in the National Merit competition, their accomplishments are also stellar, as they represent the top 3% of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2024 competition.
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