Seniors Cameron Platt, Patrick Gainey, and Alex Greer were chosen as three of the 16,000 semifinalists in the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Program.
Beginning in 1955, the NMSQP has recognized and awarded exceptional high school students who have performed well on the PSAT.
The first step to becoming a National Merit Scholar involves receiving one of the top 50,000 scores on the PSAT, out of the 1.5 million students who take the test nationwide.
The 16,000 semifinalists from each state are then selected from the first pool because of their outstanding PSAT scores.
Three semifinalists out of 38 students in the senior class is a noteworthy  proportion, according to Mr. Tyler Hodges, Director of US Academics.
Mr. Hodges also announced that seniors Cameron Matthews and Andrew McCaffery have been named Commended Students.
The semifinalists must wait until February to find out if they’ve been selected as one of the 15,000 National Merit Scholars.
“I am excited to see what happens,” Cameron said.
Finalists are judged on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments.
Academics, extracurricular activities, and leadership positions are all taken into consideration.
8,300 winners are each awarded with a National Merit Scholarship, of $2,500, which can be used at the college of their choice.