Delaware students making the grade

Five Delaware students have been recognized for academic excellence through the National Merit Scholarship Program.

About 1.5 million juniors in some 22-thousand high schools entered the 2011 National Merit Scholarship Program. The Delaware students who qualified as finalists are:

Spencer Andrews – Appoquinimink High School, Appoquinimink School District
James Lin – Middletown High School, Appoquinimink School District
Alice Miao – Brandywine High School, Brandywine School District

Two additional students from Delaware qualified to become finalists in the National Achievement Scholarship Program. They are: 

Martha Echols – Caesar Rodney High School, Caesar Rodney School District
Dionna Norris – Smyrna High School, Smyrna School District

The National Achievement Scholarship Program recognizes the achievements of Black American high school seniors.

To become a finalist, the student must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the high school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on a qualifying test. The semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes the student’s essay and information about the semifinalist’s participation and leadership in school and community activities. Merit Scholars are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

Scholars will be announced starting in April and continuing into July.