Marian Central Catholic High School student named National Merit Scholarship semifinalist

Marian Central Catholic High School student William Stotz has been named a semifinalist in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship program, according to a news release.

About 16,000 students nationwide were named semifinalists last month and will continue in the competition for the estimated 7,500 National Merit scholarships, worth almost $30 million in total, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corp. About 95% of semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship.

To be named a semifinalist, students as high school juniors must earn among the highest scores on the preliminary SAT or National Merit Scholarship qualifying test in their state.

Semifinalists represent less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors, and the number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corp.

“We at Marian Central Catholic High School are very proud of William and all of our students who continue to raise the standards of excellence in our academic community,“ Debra Novy, Marian Central’s director of curriculum and professional development, said in a statement. “William is a shining example of the commitment and perseverance Marian students continue to display, even through the challenging years we have all been through.”