Bessemer student in class by himself

By IAN MINIELLY

[email protected]

Bessemer - Byron Hooyman, A.D. Johnston High School student, learned last September, with about 16,000 other students nationwide, that his academic achievement and test scores earned recognition as a semi-finalist as a National Merit Scholar.

The NMS program began in 1955 and high school students are entered into the program when taking the preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, the initial screening point of about 1.6 million entrants every year.

In February, the NMS program notified about 15,000 semi-finalists they had advanced to finalists.

The school principal is provided a certificate to present the finalist.

Hooyman will now be judged on his academic record, the school's curriculum and grading system, test scores, a recommendation from an A.D. Johnston official, student activities and leadership, as well as an essay.

From March through mid-June, according to the NMS website, around 7,500 finalists will find out they are winners of National Merit $2,500 scholarships. Other scholarships are available and awarded by corporate sponsors to children of the corporation's employees or residents of the community the business is located within.

Colleges also provide Merit Scholarships from the finalist pool out of students accepted through their admissions offices.