Moon Student a Semi-finalist for National Merit Scholarship

A student has been named a semi-finalist for the National Merit Scholarship, an honor awarded to less than 1 percent of all U.S. high school students. 

Senior Savanna Starko is one of 16,000 nationwide semi-finalists for the scholarships. This spring she will compete for more than 8,000 National Merit Scholarships valued at more than $34 million. 

National Merit Scholarship finalists must hold an oustanding academic record and SAT scores as well as obtain an endorsement from their high school principal. Students also submit an essay and information about community service for consideration. 

Starko and other semi-finalists will be notified in May if they move on to the finalists level. 

Nearly 1.5 million juniors from across the country attempted to enter the 2012 National Merit program; the higest ranking students were selected.