MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury Union High School recently announced that the following students have been named Semifinalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program: Janet McIntosh Barkdoll of Shoreham, Lucy Groves of Cornwall and Greta Hardy-Mittell of East Middlebury.
Approximately 16,000 semifinalists throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise.  These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $33 million that will be offered next spring.
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.
In addition to the semifinalists, the following MUHS students have been named Commended Students in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program. A letter of commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporations (NMSC), which conducts the program, has been presented to the following scholastically talented seniors: Ezra Marks, Sophia Marks and Bastiaan B. Phair of Cornwall, Julian Schmitt of Middlebury, and Jack R. Waterman of Weybridge.
About 34,000 commended students throughout the entire nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2018 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, commended students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.6 million students who entered the 2018 competition by taking the 2017 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.