Four Shoreline Schools students selected as National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

Shannon Collier, Christopher Potter
from Shorecrest
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

Four Shoreline Public Schools seniors have been selected as 2016 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. They are Shannon Collier (Shorecrest), Christopher Potter (Shorecrest), Karl Reese (Shorewood) and Riley Smith (Shorewood).

Of the over 1.5 million students who entered the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test as juniors, only 16,000 become semifinalists. The semifinalists represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors.

The students now have the opportunity to compete for Merit Scholarship awards by qualifying as a National Merit Finalist in February 2016. About 7,400 Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be awarded next spring.

Karl Reese, Riley Smith
from Shorewood
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

To become a Finalist, a Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student's earlier qualifying test performance. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

Shannon Collier is a member of the Shorecrest Orchestra, Link Crew and Robotics and Engineering. She is planning to apply for early admission at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA.

Christopher Potter has been a member of the Shorcrest Debate Team for the past three years, as well as a long-standing member of Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band and Stage Band. He is currently attending an early admission program at Clarkson University in Postdam, NY.

Karl Reese attends Shoreline Community College full-time as part of Shorewood’s Running Start Program. He is considering early admission to a number of colleges, including: Olin College of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon and MIT.

Riley Smith is a member of the Shorewood Thespian Club, Hope Club and Math Club. He is currently considering colleges in California, such as: Loyola, UCLA and Stanford.