Sixteen high school seniors from Shelby County Schools have been announced as 2016 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.

Students who score the highest on the Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation award. To be a finalist, students must submit an application that includes their academic award, participation in after-school activities, leadership experience, employment and awards received. About 7,400 National Merit scholarships worth more than $32 million will be offered in the spring.

The 2016 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists from Shelby County Schools are as follows:

Central High School

Kira Tucker

Samuel Warren

Germantown High School

Venkat Sai Kanneganti

Lea Makhloufi

White Station High School

Calvin Alley

Benjamin Armstrong

Mary Katherine DeWane

Max Friedman

Victor Gardner

Francesca Giorgianni

Tian Liu

Isaac Lurie

Quinn Mulroy

Hannah Piecuch

John Thomason

Alicia Tirone