- Oxford High School
- Home
Two OHS Seniors Named Semifinalists in the 2016 National Merit Competition
Oxford, Mississippi (November 12, 2015) — Oxford High School seniors Kayla Owens and Joshua Caraway are among high school seniors nationwide to be named Semifinalists in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation recently announced the names of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 61st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Semifinalists are selected based on their scores on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT)/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test in their junior year. Semifinalist status is awarded to the students from each state who scored the highest on the exam and is proportional to the state’s percentage total of graduating seniors.
Oxford School District Superintendent Brian Harvey says he is very proud of this year’s selection of National Merit Semifinalists. He added that each student in the school district is challenged to do their best by parents and teachers.
“Everyone—from our teachers in the classroom, school bus drivers on the bus route, to our staff on the custodial and school cafeteria teams, and our parents—has a hand in our students’ success because they are the ones who continually challenge our students to excel in everything they do,” said Harvey.
Owens and Caraway will now continue in the competition for some 7,400 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be offered next spring. Nationwide, about 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to reach Finalist standing, and more than half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.