Two Montgomery Catholic Students Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist | News

Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School proudly announces Giselle Simms and Zachary Hulcher as National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist.  Zachary is the son of Vickie and Richard Hulcher of Montgomery.  Giselle is the daughter of Mariann and Douglas Simms of Wetumpka. Both students will have the opportunity to compete for some 8,300 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be offered next spring.  Today officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the names of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 58th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.  Montgomery Catholic had two of four non-public school semi-finalists in Montgomery.

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. The preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test serves as an initial screening of program entrants. In addition to the test scores, the student's academic record, community involvement, leadership ability, and personal essay are considered when determining semifinalists. About 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the title of Merit Scholar.