Alyssa Griepentrog, West Central High School junior, received notice that she is on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying list.

With a Selection Index score of 200 or above, each of the students is among the 50,000 highest-scoring participants of some 1.4 million program entrants.

Because these high performers have shown outstanding academic potential, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation will, with the student's permission, make a referral to two colleges or universities in the United States in which they are especially interested.

Of the more than 50,000 students being offered this service, about 16,000 will be named National Merit Program Semifinalists, representing the top scorers in each state, and approximately 34,000 other high scorers will be commended for their performance on the PSAT/NMSQT.

Semifinalists and Commended Students in the 2008 program will learn of their standing in September when they will be sent notification.