Auburn School District No. 408
915 4th Street Northeast, Auburn, WA  98002

 10/08/01

NEWS RELEASE
National Merit Scholarship Program

Several students in Auburn School District have recently been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship program: Auburn Riverside High School -National Merit Semi-finalist - Jessica White and National Commended Scholar - Sabrina Jurey; Auburn High School – National Merit Semi-finalists: Martha (Maggie) Cassidy-Brinn; Jack Ferdman; Michael O’Brien; Brittany Richards; Nathan True; National Commended Scholar – Michael Benedict; and National Merit Black Recognition Program – Christapher Benson.

Those academically talented high school seniors who are National Merit Semi-finalists will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for approximately 8,000 Merit Scholarship awards worth over $32 million.  Scholarships awarded through the Merit Program are underwritten by nearly 600 independent sponsor organizations and institutions, as well as the National Merit Scholarship Corporation funds.  

The nationwide pool of National Merit Semi-finalists 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.  Semifinalist are the highest scoring entrants in each state and represent less than one percent of the state’s seniors.  About 90 percent or approximately 15,000 of the Semifinalists are expected to advance to the Finalist level of the competition and some 8,000 Finalists will become Merit Scholarship winners.

Those students who are National Commended Scholars are among approximately 34,000 Commended Scholars across the nation being recognized for their exceptional academic promise.  Commended Scholars placed among the top five percent of more than one million students who entered the 2002 Merit Program by taking the 2000 Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) qualifying test when they were juniors.

For more information, contact ARHS counselor, Laurie Dooley, at (253) 804-5154 or AHS counselor, Judy Lutton, at (253) 931-4880.