McCallie National Merit Semifinalists
Four McCallie seniors were named National Merit Semifinalists for 2019 by the National Merit Scholarship Program this month for their outstanding scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Semifinalist Qualifying Test in 2018.
Boarding students James Leung (High Point, N.C.) and Harrison Stuart (San Antonio, Tx.) along with day students Mac Poston and Thomas Shikoh were among the approximately 16,000 semifinalists nationwide.
According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, about 90 percent of of all National Merit Semifinalists are expected to complete the requirements required to reach Finalists standing, and half of all Finalists will be named Merit Scholar and earn one of the scholarships.
"These guys represent the outstanding level of scholarship that is a hallmark of this school and its academic curriculum," said Assistant Headmaster Kenny Sholl. "Their hard work combined with the efforts of an outstanding faculty make McCallie a truly exceptional school."
As National Merit Semifinalists, Leung, Poston, Shikoh and Stuart are eligible to compete for the 7,500 National Merit Scholarships that will be awarded next spring and are worth in excess of $33 million. They will submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about their academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received.
More than 1.6 million high school juniors from more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the PSAT/NMSQT. Those students reaching the Semifinalist level make up less than one percent of all high school seniors in the United States.