Manhasset Has Four National Merit Finalist

Four Manhasset High School students Matthew Alonso, Alyssa Sanders, Alexander Schwartz and Jenna Tishler, were named finalists in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program. As a nationwide academic competition, the National Merit Scholarship Program seeks to identify students whose outstanding performance on the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test distinguishes them from 1.5 million students who test each year.
This distinction was awarded to approximately 15,000 high school students nationwide by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for the 2016 program. The semi­finalists have qualified to compete for approximately 7,400 available National Merit scholarships worth more than $32 million.
In the fall, Manhasset High School was notified that six semifinalists were among the more than 1.5 million juniors who took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test in 2014 and scored among the highest in the state and in the top 1 percent nationally.
To be considered for a Merit Scholarship Award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. To become a finalist, the semifinalist and his or her high school must submit a detailed scholarship application, where the school provides information about the semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment and honors and awards received. A finalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test. About 90 percent of the semifinalists attain finalist standing, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
“The Manhasset High School community is proud to include these four members of the Class of 2016 among that number,” said Jane Grappone.