Three students from Canterbury School in Fort Myers are semifinalists in the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Emmie Derback and Grady Simon, both of Cape Coral, and Matthew Feiock of Fort Myers were named semifinalists this week.
They are part of a group representing less than 1 percent of high school seniors taking the preliminary SAT or National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
By February they will be informed of whether they are national finalists.
Last month, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation recognized 16,000 of the 50,000 high test scorers as semifinalists. In order to be considered finalists, they need to meet specific high academic standards.
Kathy Edwards, spokesperson for Canterbury School, said the students have a way to go before receiving any awards. They are eligible to receive scholarships worth $2,500, as well as other corporate- and college-sponsored awards, to help with the costs of college.
“There are finalists,” she said. “And there is one step further which is scholarship recipient. Not all finalists receive scholarships.”
Even if students do not become finalists or scholarship recipients, Edwards said they still have the recognition of being a semifinalist in the prestigious program.
Canterbury students have been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation before. The school had one recognized in 1996, 1999, 2004 and 2006, as well as two students in 2003, she said.
Liana Preudhomme, a senior at Canterbury School and Fort Myers resident, was named a semifinalist for the National Achievement Scholarships Program, an academic competition for black students.
Another 34,000 students were recognized as National Merit Commended Students, including Elle Crandall of Bonita Springs, Ian Larson of Cape Coral and Aakash Singh of Fort Myers.