For Immediate Release: Sept. 13, 2006

Arlington Students Named 2006 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

The National Merit Scholarship Program has recognized 14 Arlington students as semifinalists in the 52nd annual National Merit Scholarship Competition. Semifinalists are the highest scoring entrants in each state and represent less than one percent of the nation's seniors. The 14 students attend the system's high schools and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

The Arlington studentsare among the 16,000 named nationally. More than 1.4 million students competed from over 21,000 U.S. high schools when they were juniors by taking the 2005 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). These students will have the opportunity to compete for approximately 8,200 Merit Scholarship awards totaling $33 million.

The 12 National Merit semifinalists at Arlington high schools are:

Washington-Lee High School
Patricia Sever
Sarah R. Weber
David G. Willard

Yorktown High School
Abbey Chung
Lauren A. Kuhlik
Anne K. Minoff
Jonathan O. Nardolilli
Elizabeth O’Neill
Chase R. Raines
Chelsea B. Sklar
Anna M. Sosdian
Chao Yin

In addition, two Arlington students attending Thomas Jefferson High for Science and Technology (in Fairfax), have been named National Merit semifinalists. Arlington Public Schools pays the education costs for Arlington students to attend Thomas Jefferson.

Those students are:

Christian P. McGurik
Arjun Sreekumar

Merit Scholar designees must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student's earlier qualifying test performance as well as demonstrate participation and leadership in school and community activities, and their potential for success in rigorous college studies.
About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to advance to the finalist level of competition. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation will release the names of Merit Scholarship winners beginning in April 2007.

The Arlington School Board will recognize the 14 National Merit semifinalists during its Thursday, Nov. 2 meeting. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Board Room, Arlington Education Center, 1426 North Quincy Street, Arlington.

For more information, contact 703-228-6004.