Published October 11, 2016 at 9:16 a.m.

Kingsport, Tenn. – Four Dobyns-Bennett High School students have been named as Semifinalists for the 62nd Annual 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program, a program designed to identify and honor the top high school students in the United States.

Those named as National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists from D-B are Kendall Bonner, daughter of Richard and Tracy Bonner, Joelle Jarjoura, daughter of Chad Jarjoura and Amy Khoury, Samantha Maness, daughter of Michael and Karen Maness and, Chandler Woods, son of Jon and Melissa Woods. These four students will compete with the top high school students in the nation for some 7,400 National Merit Scholarships worth approximately $32 million that will be offered in spring 2017.

About 1.6 million students who entered the 2017 completion by taking the 2015 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), served as an initial screening of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.

“We are proud of the efforts and accomplishments of these outstanding seniors,” said Dobyns-Bennett Principal Dr. Chris Hampton. “These students have taken on many challenges and have made many sacrifices to get to this point in their academic careers. This recognition of the students is an honor for our school and community, and we share in their celebration of this prestigious honor.”

To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and his/her high school must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school/community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment and honors/awards received. A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorse and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

From approximately 16,000 students qualified as Semifinalists, about 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to advance to the Finalist standing, and more than half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.

For more information on the National Merit Scholarship Program, please contact the Dobyns-Bennett High School Counseling Office at (423) 378.8409 or visit www.nationalmerit.org.

Kingsport City Schools (KCS) is a public school district located in Kingsport, Tenn., serving students in Sullivan and Hawkins county. The district is comprised of 13 schools, including a Pre-K, eight elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school and a non-traditional school; with total enrollment over 7,300 students. The vision of Kingsport City Schools is to be, Student Focused … World Class.

KCS has been named the top school district in Tennessee as winner of the 2014 SCORE Prize District Award by the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) and has earned the 2014 Achievement Award in the annual Excellence in Tennessee Recognition Program by the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE).

For more information on KCS, visit k12k.com, listen live on WCSK 90.3 FM, The Voice of KCS, read our blog, We Are KCS, or call (423) 378.2100. We’re social too; follow us on Facebook (Kingsport City Schools), Twitter (@KCS_District) and check out our YouTube Channel (KPTSchools).

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