Two seniors from Catonsville High School were named semifinalists in the 59th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, according to a Baltimore County Public Schools press release.
Samuel Bessee, of Arbutus, and Casey Radner, of Catonsville, were selected as semifinalists along with 19 students from eight county high schools.
According to the release, about 1.5 million juniors from 22,000 high schools applied for the program after participating in the 2012 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test,
Of the applicants, 16,000 were named semifinalists based on their scores, representing less than 1 percent of high school seniors nationwide, the release said.
Those that advance to the finalist level will compete for 8,000 National Merit Scholarships worth $35 million, the release said.