GBHS' Hebert, Lott National Merit Scholarship finalists
FROM STAFF REPORTS

Courtesy Photo Johnathon Lott (left) and Kyle Hebert were both recently named National Merit Scholarship finalists.

Two Gulf Breeze High School (GBHS) seniors were recently selected as National Merit Scholarship Finalists. Kyle Hebert and Johnathan Lott, both 18, were called out of class last week to receive their recognition as exceptional students. These outstanding students have each received a certificate of merit, informing them that they are finalists for the Merit Scholarship Award.

Hebert is a part of the school's newspaper staff and television production crew.

"I thought it'd be worth going for," Hebert said, added that he'd applied for at least seven scholarships. Hebert also said he has been accepted to the University of Florida and ultimately would like to study film. Hebert said he has a 3.7 un-weighted Grade Point Average (GPA).

Lott plays the alto saxophone for the GBHS band and heard about the scholarship opportunity through some friends that received funding last year. Although he is yet to decide on a specific school, Lott said he is interested in studying political science and eventually practicing law. Lott, who serves as the opinion editor for the school newspaper, attributes his 4.0 GPA and his consequential academic success to "working hard and studying."

Each year approximately 1.4 million 11th grade students take the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), which serves as an initial screen to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Entry requirements include being a United States citizen, enrollment as a full time high school student planning to enter college immediately after graduation and achieving high Selection Index scores in the areas of critical reading, mathematics and writing skills on the PSAT test.

Nationwide, approximately 16,000 students were named semifinalists in the fall and about 90 percent of those were recently named finalists.

Selection is now underway to determine the 8,200 Merit Scholarship winners who will receive $2,500 Scholarships and possible corporate sponsored awards or college scholarships. Criteria used to select the Merit Scholar designees from the finalist group include student's skills, abilities, activities, leadership, academic accomplishments, and test scores. In addition, the high school's curricula and grading scale, letters of recommendation, and the finalists' essays are considered.

In March, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) will begin mailing scholarship offers to winners at their home addresses and confidential notices will be sent to their high school principals. Announcements will be made in April, May and June.

NMSC is a not for profit organization that conducts academic competitions for recognition and undergraduate scholarships. According to their website, www.nationalmerit.org, winners can receive up to $2,500 in scholarships, and runners up get exclusive recommendation to the college of their choice. In order to become finalists, students are held to the highest academic standards, and are required to submit an essay.