PICKENS COUNTY – The School District of Pickens County announced 12 Pickens County students were named National Merit finalists, 11 from Daniel High School and 1 from Pickens High Schoool.

More than 160,000 students nationwide qualify for the National Merit Scholarship, and about 1,600 are named semifinalists. Of the 1,600 semifinalists, approximately 1,300 qualify as finalists.

Scholarships will be given to approximately 800 finalists.

Vision 2025 Educated Community group members are working on new strategies and enhancing old strategies to keep Pickens County educated. Having 12 students qualify this year as finalists reinforces that public education is capable and effective by making concerted efforts to improve K-12 facilities, resource, programs, curriculum and instruction.

This year’s finalists from Daniel High School are Nandita Balakrishnan, Samuel Castle, Rachael Creager, Seth Greenstein, Elizabeth Hawthorne, Haaris Khan, Michael Lauria, Lara McLellan, Christine Shalkoff, Anna Schleifer and Andrew Zhang. The National Merit finalist from Pickens High School is James Lawson.