BRHS senior Lilley Harris named National Merit Scholarship finalist

Mon, 02/25/2019 - 2:15pm

Southport resident and Boothbay Region High School senior Lilley Harris has advanced to National Merit® Scholarship finalist standing. After a rigorous application process and many months of waiting, Dan Welch, BRHS principal, and Harris were notified via letter. She has indeed been chosen along with 15,000 other students nation-wide as a finalist.

Harris has attended Boothbay Region High School all four years and is a talented, intellectually gifted student.

“I am so excited for Lilley. She is well deserving of this recognition as she has worked exceptionally hard all four years. She is a student that only puts forth her best effort in all she is tasked to do and it shows in her academic record. I know her family, friends and our entire school community are so very proud of her,” said Janet Sprague, director of guidance.

A ceremony recognizing Harris will be held Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. in the Porter Memorial Gymnasium, BRHS.

The National Merit® Scholarship Program began in 1955 and is an academic competition that provides recognition and scholarships for students intending on pursing post-secondary education. Junior High School students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®. This qualifying exam screens approximately 1.6 million entrants each year—and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements, student advance to semifinalist status.

To ensure that academically talented young people from all parts of the United States are included in this talent pool, semifinalists are designated on a state-representational basis. They are the highest scoring entrants in each state. NMSC provides scholarship application materials to semifinalists through their high schools. To be considered for a National Merit® Scholarship, semifinalists must advance to finalist standing in the competition by meeting high academic standards and all other requirements explained in the information provided to each semifinalist.

Beginning in March and continuing to mid-June, NMSC will notify Harris along with approximately 7,500 other finalists at their home addresses if they have been selected to receive a Merit Scholarship® award.