Schools
5 Cherokee Students Named National Merit Semifinalists
These high school seniors will now continue in the national competition for more than 7,500 Merit Scholarship awards valued at $31 million.
WOODSTOCK, GA — Five high school seniors in the Cherokee County School District have been named 2019 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists. The students are Anne Greer of Cherokee High School, Noah Tepton of Creekview High School, Kieran Black of Etowah High School, Mia McMahill of River Ridge High Schooll and Natasha Ambriz-Villela of Sequoyah High School.
“This is an amazing accomplishment, and we’re so proud of these outstanding students, their families and their teachers,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower said. “We look forward to seeing them advance through the competition and hopefully on to earning National Merit Scholarships, as each of these students is definitely deserving. We also wish them the best in all their future endeavors – congratulations!”
Less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors are named semifinalists, CCSD said. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which oversees the program, this week announced the selection of 16,000 semifinalists from a pool of more than 1.6 million students who took the 2017 PSAT. Of the semifinalist group, an estimated 15,000 will be named finalists.
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To advance to that level, semi-finalists will be judged based on applications detailing academic achievements, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors; an endorsement and recommendation from a high school official; an essay; and evidence of SAT scores that confirm their PSAT performance.
The finalists then will compete for 7,500 scholarships awarded in the spring valued at about $31 million. The students will be recognized for their achievements at the Oct. 18 Cherokee County School Board meeting.
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Photo: From left, Natasha Ambriz-Villela, Kieran Black, Anne Greer, Mia McMahill and Noah Tepton. Credit: Cherokee County School District
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