(Posted on 09/12/2008)
Six Horry County Schools’ students are among 146 seniors in 50 South Carolina public high schools to be named semifinalists in the 54th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. They are: Christopher J. Peterman, Carolina Forest High School/Scholars Academy; Sarah E. Robbins, Carolina Forest High School; Benjamin H. Brittain, Myrtle Beach High School/Scholars Academy; Matthew G. Berger, Socastee High School; Zachary B. Graham Socastee High School/Scholars Academy; and Anna Merryman, South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Math. Merryman formerly attended Carolina Forest High School and the Scholars Academy. These students were among the 16,000 students to achieve the ranking nationwide, according to officials at the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Semifinalists have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,200 Merit Scholarship awards, worth $35 million, that will be offered next spring.  About 90 percent of the students named today are expected to attain finalist standing, and approximately half of those will be selected as scholarship winners, earning the Merit Scholar title.

More than 1.5 million juniors in over 21,000 high schools entered the 2009 National Merit Program by taking the 2007 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is a nonprofit organization established in 1955.  It is supported in part by approximately 500 business organizations and higher education institutions.