John Jay HS In Cross River Has 2 National Merit Scholar Semifinalists

CROSS RIVER, NY — Two local students are being honored for being among the top one percent in the country academically as the semifinalists for a prestigious scholarship are announced.

John Jay High School said that they are "extremely pleased and proud" to announce that Michael O’Donnell and Joseph Klettner are National Merit Scholar Semifinalists for 2022.

"Their accomplishments are a testament to the high personal standards they have set for themselves and the commitment and perseverance necessary to achieve this level of distinction," Principal Steven Siciliano said. "Especially during all the well-chronicled challenges brought about by the pandemic these past two years."

The principal also congratulated their families and their teachers, noting that all student success is nurtured through these critical relationships. "We wish both Joseph and Michael continued success in their studies and time at John Jay High School and hope to see them as finalists."

SEE ALSO: 166 National Merit Semifinalists In The Hudson Valley

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of over 16,000 semifinalists in the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Program on Wednesday.

These high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,250 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring.

They entered the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program as juniors by taking the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The group, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.