Sixteen local students were recently among 16,000 students who were named as semifinalists in the 56th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

Madison home school students Bethany L. Johnson and James G. Sentell, and Bob Jones High School students Jason T. Arterburn, Katherine E. Boyer, Benjamin M. Carrasquillo, Anna M. Crumbley, Stephen A. Evans, Matthew S. Johnson, Ryan C. Lewis, Simon K. Lieu, Rebecca L. Mast, Jacob R. Morris, Monica E. Richert, Michelle K. Roberts, Colson T. Smith, Kelsey A. White and Wayne X. You were all named semifinalists.

These seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,400 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $36 million, that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition.

About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and approximately half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.

About 1.5 million juniors in some 22,000 high schools entered the 2011 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2009 Preliminary sat/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants.

The nationwide pool of semifinalists, which represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

To become a finalist, a semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the high school principal, and earn sat scores that confirm the students’ earlier performance on the qualifying test.

The semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes the student’s essay and information about the semifinalist’ participation and leadership in school and community activities.

Approximately 15,000 semifinalists are expected to advance to the finalist level and it is from this group that all National Merit Scholarship winners will be chosen.

Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin or religious preference.

Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2011.

Every Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 scholarships that will be awarded on a state representational basis.

About 1,000 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 250 corporations and business organizations for finalists who meet their specified criteria, such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located. In addition, about 200 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 4,900 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.

National Merit Scholarship winners of 2011 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 275,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.