Twelve Upper School students from The Episcopal School of Dallas have been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program for their high academic achievements on the PSAT.

Three students from The Episcopal School of Dallas Class of 2015 have been named semifinalists in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program. Approximately 1,600 high school seniors nationwide are named Semifinalists, representing the top one percent of PSAT scores taken in 2014-15. These students will compete for National Merit Scholarships. Finalists will be announced in February. ESD National Merit Semifinalists were recognized in a special chapel service held Tuesday, September 22. This year's semifinalists are Evan Marshall, Julius Stener, and Kohl Swift.

Seven students from The Episcopal School of Dallas have been named Commended Students in the 2015-16 National Merit Scholarship Program. The Class of 2016 students qualifying for this honor are: Areeb Afridi, Matthew Dross, Janie Dutter, Josiah Hamid-Khani, Rachel Latham, Campbell Munson, and Pedro Rivera. These students will be honored in chapel on Tuesday, October 6.

Amanda Kung, Pedro Rivera, and Bennett Sessa will also be honored as National Hispanic Scholars at the same chapel service for their participation in the National Hispanic Recognition Program. An invitation to apply for this recognition is extended to students who score in the top 2.5 percent among Hispanic and Latino PSAT/NMSQT test takers.

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2016 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2016 competition by taking the 2014 Preliminary PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

“The young men and women being named Commended Students have demonstrated the outstanding potential for academic success,” commented a spokesperson for NMSC. “The students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”