Two Duval County Public Schools Students Receive National Achievement Scholarships
Jacksonville, FL - Two Duval County Public Schools'
seniors were among the names of 800 outstanding Black American high school
seniors who have won Achievement Scholarship® awards through the National
Achievement Scholarship Program.
“These students have shown immense
dedication and focus to their education and are inspirations to
their peers,” said Superintendent of Duval County Public
Schools, Ed Pratt-Dannals. “This award signifies the commitment
they have made to their school work, and I encourage both of
them to continue striving to succeed in post-secondary
education.”
These awards, totaling nearly $2 million
dollars, are being financed by grants from approximately 30
corporate organizations and professional associations, and by
National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
The National Achievement Scholarship
Program is a privately financed academic competition established
in 1964 specifically to honor scholastically talented Black
American youth, and to provide scholarships to a substantial
number of the most outstanding participants in each annual
competition. The 2011 program marks 47 annual competitions in
which more than 31,000 participants will have received
scholarships for undergraduate study worth over $98 million. The
program is conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation,
a not-for-profit organization that operates without government
assistance.
Achievement Scholar designees announced
today include 700 recipients of National Achievement® $2,500
Scholarships. All students who advanced to the finalist level in
the 2011 competition were considered for these single-payment
scholarships, which were awarded on a regional representation
basis, in proportion to the population of Black Americans in
each geographic region.
About 100 Scholars are winners of
corporate-sponsored Achievement Scholarship awards. Winners were
chosen from among finalists who meet the criteria of their
grantor organizations. Most are residents of an area served by
the sponsor, children of sponsor company employees, or finalists
planning to pursue a college major or career the grantor wishes
to encourage. Almost all corporate-sponsored scholarships are
renewable and provide stipends that can vary from $500 to
$10,000 per year, but a few provide a single payment between
$2,500 and $5,000.
2011 National Achievement
Scholarship Competition
More than 160,000 students entered the 2011
National Achievement Scholarship Program by requesting
consideration when they took the 2009 Preliminary SAT/National
Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) as high school
juniors. In September 2010, approximately 1,600 of the highest
scorers were named semifinalists on a regional representation
basis. To continue in the competition, semifinalists had to
fulfill requirements for finalist standing, which included
having a record of consistently high academic performance; being
endorsed and recommended by an official of their high school;
earning SAT scores that confirm their PSAT/NMSQT performance;
and writing an essay.
From the semifinalist pool, some 1,300
advanced to the finalist level, and all National Achievement
Scholarship winners were selected from this group of outstanding
students. Achievement Scholar awardees are the finalist
candidates judged to have the strongest record of
accomplishments and greatest potential for academic success in
college.
Duval County Public Schools'
Winners
Duval County Public Schools operates 172
schools and serves approximately 123,000 students. The school
district is committed to providing high quality educational
opportunities that will inspire all students to acquire and use
the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in a global economy,
and culturally diverse world.
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