Pearl River HS Seniors Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

Pearl River High School Seniors Annette Krysiewicz, Jeremy Rosen and Erin Shortell joined approximately 1.5 million students who joined the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying test as juniors. 

All three earned a place among a national pool of semifinalists for National Merit Scholarships, a group that makes up les than one percent of high school seniors in the United States, by with scores among the best in New York.

They remain in competition for the 8,300 National Merit Scholarships, which are worth over $32 million. Letters will be sent to the 15,000 students chosen as finalists in February and certificates will be sent to their high school principals. According to the National Merit Scholarship website, the winners of the scholarships are chosen from that group "based on their abilities, skills and accomplishments -- without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference." 

The National Merit Scholarship selectors use the finalists' academic records, information about the curriculum and grading system at their schools, test scores, the students' activities, written recommendations from high school officials and essays written by the finalists.

National Merit Scholarships will be awarded in the spring. In addition to the $2,500 Merit Scholarship Awards, finalists are eligible for scholarships sponsored by corporations and colleges. Participants who do not make the list of finalists can also be chosen for special scholarships sponsored by businesses. 

More details can be found at www.nationalmerit.org.