Additional Sarasota County students named National Merit Scholars

Four more students from Sarasota County public high schools have been named recipients of scholarships in an announcement made in late May by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, bringing to 11 the total number of the district’s 2012 National Merit Scholars named to date. They will be recognized at a meeting of the School Board of Sarasota County, Tuesday, June 5. The final round of 2012 National Merit Scholars from across the U.S. will be announced Monday, July 9.

The district’s National Merit Scholarship recipients are listed below, followed by the names of their high schools, the type of NMS scholarship they are receiving and the college they will attend. Their scholarships are for various amounts; many students will receive $2,500. 

National Merit Scholars named in late May (college-sponsored scholarships):

• Chloe Dietrich, Pine View, Bowdoin College

• Haley Eiffert, Pine View, University of Florida

• Jonathan Fischler, Pine View, University of Central Florida

• Kenneth Smith III, Pine View, Florida State University

National Merit Scholars named earlier (type of NMS scholarship, college they will attend):

• Devon Baughen, Pine View, National Achievement Scholarship, Swarthmore College

• Andrew Grass, Pine View, National Merit-sponsored scholarship, Yale University

• Anthony Grebe, Pine View, National Merit-sponsored scholarship, Washington University in St. Louis

• Marissa Korn, Pine View, National Merit-sponsored scholarship, Northeastern University

• Alexander Krongel, Pine View, Walgreen Company corporate-sponsored scholarship, University of Pittsburgh

• Bailey Pecor, Riverview, National Merit-sponsored scholarship, Cornell University

• Joshua Timmons, Riverview, James E. Casey corporate-sponsored scholarship, Northeastern University

National Merit Scholarship winners are the finalists in each state who were judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies. They were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors.

This year’s competition for National Merit Scholarships began in October 2010, when approximately 1.5 million juniors in about 22,000 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 1 percent of each state’s seniors, were named semifinalists on a state representational basis. The 16,000 semifinalists had an opportunity to continue in the competition. About 8,300 students are expected to receive 2012 National Merit Scholarship scholarships valued at more than $35 million. 

About the National Merit Scholarship Corporation

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is a not-for-profit corporation that operates without government assistance. It was founded in 1955 to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The majority of scholarships offered each year are underwritten by approximately 440 independent corporate and college sponsors that share NMSC’s goals of honoring scholastically talented youth and enhancing their educational opportunities.