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DONNA WINCHESTERThey are included in a pool of semifinalists that represents fewer than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors.
Nineteen Pinellas County students are among 16,000 academically talented high school seniors nationwide named by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. as semifinalists in the 2004 Merit Scholarship competition.
The semifinalists, who were chosen from 1.3-million National Merit Program entrants at more than 20,000 high schools, will have the opportunity to compete for more than 8,000 Merit Scholarship awards worth $32-million this spring.
High school juniors enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The nationwide pool of semifinalists represents fewer than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors.
Semifinalists are designated on a state representational basis. The number of semifinalists named in each state is proportional to the state's percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
This year's semifinalists were the last group of students to take the qualifying test as it has existed for several years. What previously was called the verbal section will be changed to the critical reading section. Higher level questions will be added to the math section.
Additionally, a new section testing writing skills will be added to the SAT in March, raising the highest possible score from 1,600 to 2,400. As a result, qualifying scores for National Merit finalists could change.
To become finalists, students must have a record of very high academic performance, provide the recommendation of their principals and earn SAT scores that confirm their earlier qualifying test performance. About 90 percent of the semifinalists become finalists each year.
Here are the Pinellas seniors who have been named semifinalists:
Thomas J. Erman, Clearwater High; Sean W. Armil, Kimberly A. Beers, Jessica K. Brady, Isaac E. Brodsky, Hayley L. Dirscherl, Austin E. Heerschap, Ryan T. Mortensen-Reed, Andrew J. Preston, Amanda L. Sebba, Eleanor K. Thomas and Colin E. Zehnder, International Baccalaureate program at Palm Harbor University High; Jason E. Conage-Pough, Center for Advanced Technologies at Lakewood High; Gregory M. Hochsprung, Masatoshi C. Mochizuki and James T. Stenard, International Baccalaureate program at St. Petersburg High; Michael D. Leibring, Shorecrest Preparatory School; and Caitlin E. Carey and Fangso Liu, East Lake High.
Additionally, four Pinellas County students are among 1,600 semifinalists nationwide in the 2004 National Achievement Scholarship Program. The program, conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corp., is a privately financed competition to honor outstanding black youth and to increase their educational options.
George E. Blair and Serena L. Sealy from the International Baccalaureate program at Palm Harbor University High, Andre W. Bernard and Jason E. Conage-Pough from CAT at Lakewood have the opportunity to compete for more than 775 Achievement Scholarship awards that will be offered next spring.