Two seniors from North Hunterdon and Voorhees High Schools were named as Semi-Finalists and 26 seniors were named as Commended Students in the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Competition.
Semi-Finalists are Ashley Weaver from North Hunterdon, and Harrison Bergman from Voorhees.
Commended students are: Kathryn Brightly, Kelly Degerdon, Allyson Ferry, Alexis Giannattasio, Janice Ho, Ariel Kang, Anne Kuster, Jennifer Lambert, Yang Li, Taylor Londino, Ann Mangano, Emma McBride, Grace Montemurro, Cathryn Piwinski, Alex Romano, Kelsey Scott, Lauren Smith, Jake Smolinsky, Danielle Sumner, Milan Thakker, Sereena Tucker, and Ryan Waskiewicz from North Hunterdon; and Emma Ettinger, Amy Hicks, Caitlin Mahoney, and Jake Szymczak from Voorhees.
This year, about 34,000 students throughout the country have been named as Commended Students for their exceptional academic promise. Commended students place among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2012 competition by taking the 2010 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQTÒ).
Semi-Finalists are designated on a state representational basis, which means the students selected as Semi-Finalists are the highest scoring entrants in the state. About 15,000 students will go on to be selected as Finalists and will be notified of their selection in February. Students chosen as Finalists also have the opportunity of winning $2,500 scholarships. Winners of the scholarships are chosen based on their abilities, skills and accomplishments, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference. They are also selected without consideration of family financial circumstances, college choice, or major and career plans.