Fifty from Northwest Arkansas earn National Merit semifinalist status

Fifty students from schools in Benton and Washington counties qualified as semifinalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program.

That group includes 17 in the Bentonville School District, 11 at Fayetteville High School and 10 at Haas Hall Academy.

The names of about 16,000 semifinalists from across the country -- including 136 from Arkansas -- were released Wednesday by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. Arkansas last year had 143 semifinalists, with 54 coming from Northwest Arkansas.

About 1.6 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2018 program by taking the Preliminary SAT and National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, according to a news release from the corporation.

The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than 1 percent of high school seniors, 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, according to the release.

To become a finalist, the semifinalist must provide information on academic record, participation in school and community activities and more. About 15,000 of the 16,000 semifinalists are expected to advance to the finalist level, according to the release. Finalists are announced each spring. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from the finalist group.

Bentonville High School had 13 semifinalists, down from its record high of 18 last year. The Bentonville district's West High School, which opened last year and added a senior class this year, had four semifinalists.

Jonathon Guthrie, West's principal, said administrators have met with the school's four semifinalists to ensure they get started on the application process for becoming a finalist.

"These are such great kids," Guthrie said. "I'm excited about their college choices and seeing what they do."

Guthrie said they will be recognized at an upcoming pep rally.

"We try to honor our academic successes and our arts successes every bit as much as our athletic successes," he said. "It's a testament to the kids but also to our teachers, our junior high schools, middle schools and elementary schools, everyone who has poured their lives into these kids."

Fayetteville High School's 11 semifinalists is down from 16 last year. The school, which has about 2,650 students this year, has averaged 11 semifinalists per year for the past five years.

Steve Jacoby, the school's principal, attributed the students' success to the education they've received throughout their years in the district, not just in high school.

He also pointed out the importance of their parents. Upon meeting with all of the semifinalists, he asked who had had the biggest impact on them.

"They all said their parents were a vital link in the success they have had," Jacoby said. "But these are all students who are highly motivated scholars. To be here you have to be very energetic and you have to have a sincere passion for the acquisition of knowledge. That's what makes for the success of these students."

NW News on 09/14/2017