National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists Announced
Three Frisco High School students were recently announced as semifinalists in the 50th annual National Merit Scholarship Program by the officials of National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). Seniors Logan Acton, Kathryn Enderle and Yuliya Pashin have the opportunity to continue in the competition for 8,200 Merit Scholarship® awards, worth $33.9 million, that will be offered next spring.

“The entire FHS staff is extremely proud of all three of our semifinalists,” FHS Principal Rick Burnett said. “They are great students as well as outstanding citizens. To achieve this distinction is a credit to their abilities and their dedication to academic preparation and achievement.”

More than 1.3 million students in almost 21,000 U.S. high schools entered the 2005 Merit Program when they were juniors by taking the 2003 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists was designated on a state representational basis; the number of Semifinalists in each state is based on its percentage of the national total of graduating high school seniors. Semifinalists are the highest scoring entrants in each state and represent less than one percent of the state’s seniors.

To become Finalists, semifinalists must have an outstanding high school academic record, be endorsed and recommended by their school principal, and submit SAT scores that confirm their earlier qualifying test performance. The Semifinalist and a school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes the student’s self-descriptive essay and information about the Semifinalists’participation and leadership in school and community activities.About 90 percent of the 16,000 Semifinalists are expected to become Finalists, and approximately half of the Finalists will be selected as Merit Scholarship winners.

Founded in 1955 to conduct the annual Merit Scholarship competition, NMSC is a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance. Scholarships awarded through the National Merit Program are underwritten by approximately 500 business organizations and higher education institutions as well as by NMSC’s own funds. Independent sponsors have provided scholarships through the National Merit Program beginning with the first awards offered in 1956, supporting NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.