Orcas high school senior Halley McCormick has been selected as one of 16,000 semifinalists in the 2011 National Merit Scholarship program.

The National Merit Scholarship program honors students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. Semifinalists may continue in the process to compete for 8,400 National Merit Scholarships totaling over $36 million, to be awarded next spring. Roughly 90 percent of semifinalists will achieve finalist standing, with about half earning scholarships.

The competition, now in its 56th year, is administered by the non-profit National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

“Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC and about 450 business organizations and higher education institutions that share NMSC’s goal of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence,” reads a recent NMSC press release.

The semifinalists were selected out of a pool of 1.5 million high school juniors who took the Preliminary SAT, and represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors. The competition to become a finalist includes submission of an essay as well as information about each student’s participation and leadership in school and community activities.

For more information about the competition, please visit NMSC’s Web site at www.nationalmerit.org .