Schools announce National Merit semifinalists

DeSoto County Schools has released a list of National Merit semifinalist students in the district’s high schools.  The students are eligible for scholarship money through the National Merit Scholarship Program, or NMSC.  

According to its website, there are approximately 16,000 semifinalists in the 65th annual program.  

“These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million that will be offered next spring,” the website reads. “To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and about half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.”

There are 25 students on the semifinalist list from DeSoto County Schools. Lewisburg has the most number of students that reached semifinalist level with eight.  

The students are listed here by school:

Center Hill

Joshua Armstrong

Carson Ewing

Sulayman Mbenga

Kymoria Mottley

Zach Medlin (Mississippi School for Math and Science)

DeSoto Central

Hayden Adams

Elijah Crouch

Donovan Flie

Mary Hopper

Omar Jamil

Sawyer Sterling

Hernando

Emily Dalton

Ethan Rogers

Lewisburg

Ben Armstrong

Robert Cashion

Amber Cecil

Brison Ewing

Julia Kirkland

John McCommon

Luke Overstreet

Dylan Terry

Olive Branch

Samantha Cummings

Elizabeth “Jayne” Salyards

Southaven

Learra Alip

Joseph Jenkins