Kingfisher High School senior Harrison Themer was named one of approximately 16,000 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists last week.

Themer, the son of Dennis and Tammy Themer, is ranked among the top 1% of U.S. high school seniors, based on his score on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test administered last year.

More than 1.5 million juniors in about 21,000 high schools took the same test.

The program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

Harrison now has an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million that will be offered next spring.

To become a finalist, Harrison and a KHS official will submit a detailed scholarship application which includes his academic record, honors and awards. An essay from the student also is required.

Harrison scored a 34 on his ACT and is student council president. He also is a standout on the basketball team and in FFA, where he is a member of three national champion competition teams and eight state champion teams and currently serves as reporter.

He was selected to attend the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Conference and also participated in the Oklahoma Association of Student Councils Basic Leadership Workshop.

Harrison is a member of National and Oklahoma honor societies and currently carries a weighted GPA of 4.18.

He and his family attend the Kingfisher Church of the Nazarene, where he participates in youth group.

A total of 15,000 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists are expected to advance to finalist status and then will be eligible for one of three types of scholarships.

A total of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 scholarships will be awarded on a state representational basis.

About 1,000 corporate-sponsored awards will be provided by around 220 corporations, based on their specific criteria.

An additional 4,100 college-sponsored awards also will be offered by about 180 colleges and universities.