Fourteen Olentangy high school students received honors through the 2007 National Merit Scholarship Program.  Seven students were named as Semifinalists in the 2007 Merit Scholarship Competition, one student is a Semifinalist in the 2007 National Achievement Scholarship Program and six students are Commended Scholars in the 2007 Merit Scholarship Competition.  This is a district record for not only the number of students invited to participate in the National Merit Scholarship Competition, but also a record for the highest number of Semifinalists.  In addition, this is the first time any Olentangy student has participated in the National Achievement Scholarship Program.

2007 National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalists

More than 16,000 Semifinalists were announced this week by the National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSP) for the 2007 competition. According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), more than 1.4 million juniors in nearly 21,000 high schools entered the 2007 NMSP by taking the 2005 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The pool of Semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors. Only Semifinalists will continue to compete for approximately 8,200 Merit Scholarships worth $33 million. Olentangy’s 2007 NMSP Semifinalists include:

• Drew B., Olentangy High School (OHS);
• Samuel C., Olentangy Liberty High School (OLHS) – Samuel has moved out of the district since taking his initial qualifying test at OLHS;
• Mary Beth C., OLHS;
• Bryan G., OLHS;
• Kelly H., OHS;
• Brooke W., OLHS; and,
• Nathan W., OHS.

2007 National Achievement Scholarship Program Semifinalist

Olentangy Liberty High School (OLHS) Senior, Chance S. is a Semifinalist in the National Achievement Scholarship Program (NASP). NASP is an academic competition established in 1964 to provide recognition for outstanding African-American high school students. African-American students may enter both the NASP and the NMSP by taking the PSAT/NMSQT and meeting other high achieving requirements for participation.  While a student may qualify for both programs they may only receive one monetary award from NMSC. According to the NMSC of the more than 130,000 students who currently enter the NASP each year, approximately 4,600 are honored. Approximately 1,600 are named Semifinalists and have the opportunity to advance in the competition for Achievement Scholarship awards.

2007 National Merit Scholarship Program Commended Scholars

Six Olentangy students earned the distinction of being Commended Scholars in the 2007 National Merit Scholarship Competition.  Commended Scholars were among the 50,000 highest-scoring participants of the some 1.4 million students who took the 2005 PSAT/NMSQT. While Commended Scholars will not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships, NMSC did notify two colleges of the student’s choice regarding their outstanding academic potential. Olentangy’s 2007 National Merit Scholarship Program Commended Scholars include:

• Ryan D., Olentangy Liberty High School (OLHS);
• Daniel F., Olentangy High School (OHS);
• Laura H., OHS;
• Andrew H., OHS;
• Mark J., OHS; and,
• Erik K., OLHS.