Three seniors at St. Margaret’s School have earned recognition from the National Merit Scholarship Program for their outstanding performance on the 2006 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

Martha Reynolds of Wake Forest, NC was recognized as a Semifinalist in the competition. Of more than 1.4 million students who took the qualifying test, only 16,000 of the highest performers were recognized in this category. Reynolds is a two year boarding student at St. Margaret’s who runs cross-country and was the recipient of the school’s 2006-07 Rensselaer Medal for Achievement in Mathematics and Science. She now advances in the competition to become a finalist competing for more than 8,200 merit scholarship awards offered by colleges and corporations.

Stephanie Hanson of Gloucester, VA and Katherine Burnett of Burlington, NC were among the 50,000 highest scorers in the competition and have been named Commended students. Hanson is a three-year boarder who was tapped for membership in the National Honor Society last year and serves as a prefect. Burnett, a four-year boarding student, serves as editor of the yearbook, chief sacristan, student ambassador, and is a prefect and desk aide at St. Margaret’s. She is also the 2006-07 recipient of the school’s William and Mary Leadership Award.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition that encourages high school students to pursue rigorous college studies, promotes a wider and deeper respect for learning and for extremely talented individuals, and stimulates increased support for the education of scholastically able students. Since it was established in 1955, National Merit Scholarship Corporation has recognized 3 million students and provided some 324,000 scholarships worth over $1.2 billion.