7 District Five students advance in National Merit Scholarship contest

Seven students from Lexington-Richland School District Five have been named finalists in the 61st annual National Merit Scholarship Program.District Five students who advanced to finalist standing include: Eli Horner (Chapin High), Jamie Milliff (Chapin High), Andrew Herbst (Dutch Fork High), Tony Wong (Dutch Fork High), Thomas Birdsong (Irmo High), Tanay Singh (Irmo High) and Miriam Hoyt (Spring Hill High). National Merit Scholarship winners of 2016 will be revealed in a series of announcements beginning in March and continuing to mid-June.

Chapin High School Principal Dr. Akil Ross said, “We are so proud of Jamie and Eli for their commitment to excellence in the classroom and their leadership in the community. They represent Chapin High School very well, and I am excited to see what the future holds for these talented students.”

Dutch Fork High School Principal Dr. Greg Owings added, “We wish to congratulate Andrew Herbst and Tony Wong on being named finalists in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program. We are so extremely proud of these students and commend them for being among the best of the best in America.”

The National Merit® Scholarship Program started in 1955 as an academic competition for recognition and awards. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) – a test which serves as an initial screen of  approximately 1.5 million entrants annually. Three types of National Merit Scholarships are awarded each year, including National Merit® $2,500 Scholarships, Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards and College-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards.

Irmo High School Principal David Riegel said, “We’re proud to have Tanay and Thomas join the long list of National Merit Scholarship finalists from Irmo High School. We are proud of their outstanding achievement and all the efforts they have put forth to excel in and outside the classroom. We look forward to seeing all the great things they will do in the future.”

At Spring Hill High, school officials celebrated the fact that its first senior class included a National Merit Scholarship finalist. Dr. Michael Lofton, principal of the career pathways magnet school, said: “What a wonderful honor for Spring Hill High School to have Miriam Hoyt chosen as our very first National Merit finalist. I am impressed with what Miriam is able to accomplish each and every day. She is a phenomenal young lady that knows what she wants and works very hard to achieve her goals. We, her Spring Hill High family, are very proud of her and cannot wait to see what life has to bring for Miriam.”