3 D308 Students Named Finalists In National Merit Competition

OSWEGO, IL — Three Oswego High School students are among the 15,000 finalists nationwide moving on in the National Merit Scholarship competition, Oswego Community Unit School District 308 officials announced.

Jessica Van Vorren, John Kellogg and Stephen Balhan were provided with a Certificate of Merit from the NMSC for achieving the prestigious accomplishment.

About 8,000 winners will be selected from the finalists based on abilities, skills and accomplishments. To determine winners, the National Merit will look at various factors: academic record, information about the school’s curriculum and grading system, SAT/NMSQT Selection Index score, the high school official's written recommendation, information about the student’s activities and leadership, and the finalist's essay.

Three types of Merit Scholarships will be awarded: National Merit $2,500 Scholarship, Corporate-Sponsored Merit Scholarship and College-Sponsored Merit Scholarship.