LRSD News

Study hard, pay attention in class, do your homework… Some students actually heed these commands from their parents and teachers, and a select few have been rewarded for their hard work.

Seventeen LRSD students recently have been named Semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program, and six are Semifinalists in the National Achievement Scholarship Program. (Photo shows 2010 National Merit and National Achievement scholars.)

About 1.5 million juniors in some 22,000 high schools entered the 2011 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2009 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. 

The LRSD's 2011 National Merit Semifinalists include:

Lucy A. Anderson, Central High

Buzurgmehr S. Arjmandi, Central High

George G. Aspesi, Central High

Kamakshi L. Duvvuru, Central High

Katherine L. Gillum, Central High

William L. Hupp, Central High

John F. Kimmerly, Parkview Magnet High

LaKacia S. Lloyd, Central High

Rebecca R. Meredith, Central High

Sarah P. Parker, Central High

Lucy M. Richardson, Central High

Thomas P. Spradley, Central High

Christine M. Stuckey, Parkview Magnet High

Trevor K. Wine, Central High

David Z. Ye, Central High

Boshan Zhao, Central High

Elton K. Zhou, Central High

In addition, two students were honored as National Merit Commended Students, meaning they are among the top five percent of students who took the 2009 PSAT/NMSQT:

Andrew Manley, Central High

Matthew J. Strauss, Central High

The six LRSD students who were named Semifinalists in the National Achievement program represent fully one-third of all National Achievement Semifinalists in Arkansas this year.

The National Achievement Scholarship Program is an academic competition established in 1964 to provide recognition for outstanding African-American high school students. More than 160,000 high school juniors from all parts of the United States requested consideration in the 2011 National Achievement Scholarship Program when they took the 2009 PSAT/NMSQT.

Students may enter both the National Achievement Program and the National Merit Program. Semifinalists are designated within geographic regions and are the highest-scoring program entrants in the states that make up each region.

The Little Rock School District's National Achievement scholars for 2011 include:

Cambria L. Bailey, Parkview Magnet High

LaKacia S. Lloyd, Central High

Sheridan M. McKisick, Hall High

Miriam L. Pearsall, Parkview Magnet High

Taylor D. Stevens, Central High

Trevor K. Wine, Central