The district is pleased to announce that Elwood-John H. Glenn High School senior Grace Franzese has been named a semifinalist in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Franzese placed among the top 5 percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Nearly 16,000 high school seniors from across the country were named semifinalists, with 962 students selected from New York State. National Merit Semifinalists have the opportunity to advance in the competition by meeting high academic standards and other rigorous requirements set by the scholarship program.

Along with her dedication to academics, Franzese is an active member of the high school chamber choir, school chairperson for Relay for Life, independent science research student and editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper. She plans to continue her academic journey and will apply to several prestigious colleges, including the University of Virginia, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Wake Forest University, with aspirations to double major in chemistry and English.

“I am very excited and honored to have been selected as a semifinalist and I hope to advance further in the program,” said Franzese.