INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. and#8212; Eighteen high school students in the Washoe County School District have been named semifinalists in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program. They are among approximately 16,000 scholars nationwide who now have the opportunity to continue competing for $32 million in college scholarships to be awarded next spring.

and#8220;We are so proud of our scholars as they serve as wonderful models for their student peers,and#8221; said WCSD Chief School Accountability Officer Paul LaMarca. and#8220;We look forward to learning of their accomplishments as they move on to post-secondary education.and#8221;

The semifinalists from the Washoe County School District are:

and#8226; Emma Beebe, Galena High School

and#8226; Jordan Jones, Incline High School

and#8226; Ginetta Sagan, Incline High School

and#8226; Nicholas Cleymaet, McQueen High School

and#8226; Brent Bremer, Reno High School

and#8226; Gregory Foster, Reno High School

and#8226; Jackson Hart, Reno High School

and#8226; Emily Meany, Reno High School

and#8226; Lila Murphy, Reno High School

and#8226; Anna Nason, Reno High School

and#8226; John Oand#8217;Neill, Reno High School

and#8226; Chase Taylor, Reno High School

and#8226; Kylie Woodman, Reno High School

and#8226; Robert Wagner, Spanish Springs High School

and#8226; Christian Foster, Wooster High School

and#8226; Emily Gadbois, Wooster High School

and#8226; Gordon Perkins, Wooster High School

and#8226; Andy Shao, Wooster High School

These students were among 1.5 million high school juniors from across the country who entered the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The 16,000 highest-scoring students, who represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, were named semifinalists.

In order to move forward in the competition for the scholarships, each student and their high school must submit a detailed application in which they provide information about the studentand#8217;s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, and honors and awards received.

Each semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be recommended and endorsed by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT scores that confirm the studentand#8217;s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

Based upon these submissions, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation will choose approximately 15,000 finalists who will be named in February. These finalists will compete for 2,500 National Merit Scholarships ($2,500 each), about 1,000 corporate-sponsored awards, and 4,800 college-sponsored National Merit Scholarships ($500-$2,000).