RELEASE DATE: September 19, 2023

Charleston County School District (CCSD) is proud of the 34 students from the Class of 2024 who are semifinalists in the 69^th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) released the names of more than 16,000 semifinalists last week.

The following CCSD students are 2024 semifinalists: 

Academic Magnet

Andrew W. Angermeier 

Warren C. Cohn 

Elizabeth S. Compton 

Harry S. Ding

Nicholas W. Edwards

Colin C. George

Adam P. Kremer

Campbell N. Lesher

Elizabeth C. Manuel

Zachary O. Matthews 

John K. McQueen

Henry J. Monteith

Jacob T. Olinger

Jessie Ross

John S. Rutter

Todd Sander 

Thompson W. Sasser

Caroline M. Spann  

Maryn G. Tombs

Ava N. Trolley

Emerson Wiseman

Kabir A. Zamana

Charleston County School of the Arts

Julia A. Boyer

Jessica H. Johnson

Margaret R. Largent

James Island Charter

Harold L. Mullin

Lucy Beckham

 Kathryn C. Bennett

 Elizabeth F. Goldberg

 Jillian F. McCafferty

 Lilah J. Smith

Wando

 Colton P. Keith

Kathryn P. MacDonald

James E. Perkins

Viona Z. Su

Academic Magnet High School leads the state with 22 semifinalists.

“We are so proud of these Raptors for this achievement,” said Academic Magnet Principal Jake Perlmutter. “It is a remarkable personal accomplishment for each of them and a huge organizational accomplishment to have so many students recognized as National Merit semifinalists.”

These CCSD high school seniors will compete for some 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth close to a combined $28 million that will be awarded in the spring.

“We are so proud of our three scholar-artists,” explained Dr. Shannon Cook, principal of Charleston County School of the Arts. “Their commitment to excellence is evident in all they do. We are thrilled to celebrate this honor with them and look forward to hearing about their future accomplishments.”

High school juniors entered the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors. 

"Harry Mullin is an extraordinary student, with a generous heart and a deep commitment to his school and community,” stated James Island Charter High School’s principal, Tim Thorn.

To become a finalist, the semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application that includes the student’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test. 

“As part of our first class to attend LBHS their whole high school career, these semifinalists represent not only the highest academic achievement but the strength and determination that the Class of 2024 represents,” explained Anna Dassing, Lucy Beckham High School’s principal. “They have worked tirelessly to overcome and persevere through a global pandemic to be top in their class and we could not be prouder of this incredible accomplishment.”

2024 National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 375,000 other distinguished young people who have the title of Merit Scholar.

"We are so proud of all our National Merit Scholarship semifinalists,’" added Wando High School Principal Chas Choker. “This is a true testament to the hard work and dedication they have given in their high school career. We look forward to honoring their work this year.”

For more information, contact CCSD’s Office of Communications at (843) 937-6303.

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