The Mount Greylock community is proud to announce that seniors William Svrluga and Ellie Xu have both been selected as National Merit Scholarship Finalists. In the fall, William and Ellie became two of approximately 15,000 National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalists, and the only two representing all of Berkshire County.

To be recognized as a Semi-Finalist, students must take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) in the fall of their junior year and be among the highest-scoring entrants in their state. Once identified, they must complete an application that demonstrates an outstanding academic record throughout high school, including an essay, endorsement by a high school official, and an SAT® or ACT® score that confirms the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists represents less than one percent of current U.S. high school seniors.

National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. NMSC underwrites scholarships with its own funds and with the support of approximately 400 business organizations and higher education institutions that share NMSC's goals of honoring the nation's scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.

As finalists, William and Ellie are eligible for one of 6,870 scholarships, including National Merit, corporate-sponsored, and college-sponsored awards. Those scholarship winners will be announced between April and June of this year. Merit Scholar designees are selected based on their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, regardless of gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.

Earlier this year, three other Mount Greylock seniors were named as commended students in the National Merit Scholarship Competition: Everett Crowe, Emilie Jones, and Natasha Nugent. These students were among the top 34,000 nationwide who showed exceptional academic promise. All five of our National Merit Scholars will be recognized at the annual “Class Night” celebration this June.