Newtown High School seniors Juan Mendez and Isha Mendiratta were recently announced as semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Competition.

The announcement was made at the school on September 17, when Juan and Isha visited the high school’s counseling department.

NHS school counselor Jeff Tolson shared the news with the students and a gathering of counselors and school staff, reading an announcement from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance. It was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program, according to the corporation. High school students are entered into the program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

For the National Merit Scholarship program, 16,000 semifinalists were named, and each of the chosen semifinalists can continue in the competition. To continue in the competition, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level, according to the corporation.

After sharing the news and handing out certificates, Tolson told the students, “You are the pride of our school.”

Education Reporter Eliza Hallabeck can be reached at eliza@thebee.com.