Five seniors from Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) have been announced as semifinalists in this year’s National Merit Scholarship Program, the district announced Monday. Academically, the recognition places those students in the top 1 percent of seniors nationwide. Four of the students hail from Traverse City Central High School, while the fifth is a student at Traverse City West Senior High.

Central’s National Merit semifinalists are Sylvia Coulter, Francesca Harbold, Claire Poppleton, and Ulysses Walls. West’s semifinalist is Marella Mast. All five will now compete for the nearly $24 million up for grabs in National Merit Scholarships.

TCAPS also had multiple National Merit Commended Scholars this year, “whose performance placed them in the top 3 percent nationally.” Those students are Oscar Falcon, Charlie Hammersley, Harrison Jeffries, Avery Johnston, Nathan Stawski, and Marian White from Central High School, as well as Nolan Bildeaux from West Senior High.

National Merit semifinalists are selected based on student performance on PSAT, which doubles as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. To be in contention, students must also maintain a strong academic record and complete a separate application. This year, more than 1.3 million students entered the contest.

Pictured: Central principal Ben Berger with semifinalists Ulysses Walls, Claire Poppleton, and Francesca Harbold.