The four students from local high schools previously recognized as National Merit semifinalists have advanced to the finalists level in the scholarship program.

Elizabeth Kiblinger (Notre Dame Regional High School), Nathan Fridley (Jackson High School), Veronica Ely (Cape Girardeau Central High School) and Lizzie Nussbaum (Central High School) were all recently notified of the distinction. Nationally, about 15,000 semifinalists are named finalists. These students will soon find out if they will receive one of the prestigious scholarships. According to the organization's website, about 8,300 finalists will receive a scholarship award.

Congratulations to the students on being named National Merit finalists. We wish them the best in the scholarship selection process, but having advanced to this level is a significant achievement of its own. A large number of talented students across the country apply for this honor. To have four selected from schools in Cape Girardeau and Jackson is impressive.

While the academic successes of Kiblinger, Fridley, Ely and Nussbaum are significant, many other students across Southeast Missouri are also striving for academic excellence. Some are taking college preparatory and advanced placement courses. Others are taking technical courses in preparation for work after graduation. Though these students do not typically receive a great deal of public recognition, we also applaud them and wish them the best in their future endeavors.