H'port student named National Merit Scholar

Hammondsport senior Megan E. Walling has been named a 2007 National Merit Scholarship Finalist. She is one of 15,000 students across the nation who is competing for the 2007 Merit Scholarship awards.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.3 million entrants each year. Of the 1.3 million entrants, some 50,000 with the highest scores qualify for recognition in the National Merit Scholarship Program.

Approximately one-third of the 50,000 high scorers qualify as Semifinalists. Semifinalists are designated on a state representational basis and are the highest scoring entrants in each state.

All winners of Merit Scholarship awards are chosen on the basis of their abilities, skills, and accomplishments. A variety of information is available for NMSC selectors to evaluate including the Finalist's academic record, information about the school's curricula and grading system, two sets of test scores, school official's written recommendation, information about the student's activities and leadership, and the Finalist's own essay.