NICEVILLE — On Monday, the Okaloosa County School District announced that students from Niceville High School and Choctawhatchee High School have been named semifinalists for the 2025 National Merit Scholarship.
“I am extremely proud of these students and their dedication in achieving this recognition,” Superintendent Marcus Chambers said in a news release. “The process is rigorous, and those honored at any level for their academic excellence deserve it.”
Lily Suttlemyre and William Cupp from Niceville High School and Jonathan Curtis and Tina Le from Choctawhatcee High School were declared semifinalists.
The students qualified for the Merit Scholarship Program by taking a Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship qualifying test in the fall of their junior year. To advance to finalist status, each student had to submit a comprehensive scholarship application, maintain an exceptional academic record, receive the school official’s endorsement, write an essay and achieve SAT or ACT scores that validate their previous performance.
The four students are among more than 16,000 students nationwide who are considered for the scholarship. Each year, 6,870 National Merit Scholarships are awarded worth nearly $26 million.
