Oxford High’s National Merit Semifinalists Announced

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has announced the names of semifinalists in the 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million that will be offered next spring.

The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state on the PSAT   — Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Oxford High seniors who are among this distinguished list are Hayden Walker, Heath Stevens and Elliott Wilson.

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition.

Over 1.5 million high school juniors in about 21,000 high schools entered the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the PSAT, which served as an initial screen of program entrants.

The number of possible semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

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In the Lafayette County School District, Anna Lafferty has been named a Commended Student in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program. 

Although Commended students do not continue in the 2022 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, they placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2022 competition by taking the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

A Letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program, will be presented by the principal to this scholastically talented senior. 

Courtesy of the OSD