Eight District Five students named National Merit semifinalists
September 13, 2015
IRMO, SC – Eight students from Lexington-Richland School District Five are among the approximately 16,000 semifinalists in the 61st annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
Semifinalists from District Five include: Eli Horner (Chapin High), Jamie Milliff (Chapin High), Andrew Herbst (Dutch Fork High), Saad Iftikhar (Dutch Fork High), Tony Wong (Dutch Fork High), Thomas Birdsong (Irmo High), Tanay Singh (Irmo High) and Miriam Hoyt (Spring Hill High). Around 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to become finalists, and more than half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship.
Chapin High School Principal Dr. Akil Ross said, “The Chapin Eagle family is so proud of Eli and Jamie. The designation they’ve earned is a huge accomplishment and testament to their hard work and their commitment in and outside the classroom.”
Eli Horner, Jamie Milliff with Chapin High School Principal Dr. Akil Ross
Dutch Fork High School Principal Dr. Greg Owings added, “We wish to congratulate Andrew Herbst, Saad Iftikhar, and Tony Wong on being named semifinalists in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program. We would also like to congratulate our teachers for setting high academic standards for all of our students. We are so proud of these students and commend them for being among the best of the best in America.”
Semifinalists represent the top one percent of nearly 1.5 million students nationwide who took the 2014 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Finalists will be notified in February, and National Merit Scholarship winners of 2016 will be revealed in a series of announcements beginning next April and concluding in July.
“Tanay and Thomas definitely have bright futures,” Irmo High School Principal David Riegel said of the school’s two semifinalists. “Both of these students have worked very hard to achieve their goals, and they have great plans for what they want to accomplish. We are proud of them both and we will enjoy watching their success continue to unfold.”
Spring Hill High School Principal Dr. Michael Lofton said, “I am very pleased to announce that in Spring Hill High School’s first senior class we have a National Merit semifinalist. Miriam is an exceptional young lady that challenges herself every day to reach her highest potential. She is an independent, innovative thinker that is prepared to succeed in the world of academia. We are very proud to have Miriam Hoyt represent Spring Hill High School and wish her the best.”
Miriam Hoyt with Spring Hill High School Principal Dr. Michael Lofton
