Brief: Two Henry Sibley Students Named National Merit Scholar Semifinalists

seniors Jack O’Leary and Mark Rosno, have been named Semifinalists in the 2011 National Merit Scholarship Program.

The seniors are two of approximately 16,000 students from across the country named as semifinalists, according to the National Merit Scholarship Program. This represents about 1 percent of seniors.

Those who advance in the competition become eligible for 8,300 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $34 million, that will be offered next spring.

“We here at Sibley are extremely proud of Jack and Mark for being named Semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program this year,” said Henry Sibley Principal Robin Percival, in a statement. “We wish them continued success in this competitive and greatly respected program, and congratulate them both on achieving this level of recognition.”

Students qualify for the program by taking the Preliminary SAT their junior year. To become a finalist, the student must maintain an excellent high school record, earn a recommendations from the school principal, and earn SAT scores in-line with their PSAT performance.