Three Russellville School District Students Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

Russellville School District is proud to announce that three Russellville High School senior students have been named 2024 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

  • Hayden Daniel

  • Crawford Rash

  • Joy Skaggs 

Daniel, Rash, and Skaggs were selected as Semifinalists from approximately 50,000 academically-talented high school students across the United States. Only 16,000 students are named Semifinalists. These three RSD seniors will have the opportunity to advance to the Finalist level and compete for National Merit Scholarships.

“It brings me great joy to see three students at Russellville High School receive this prestigious honor by the National Merit Scholarship Program. I am very proud of Hayden, Crawford, and Joy for achieving such a big accomplishment and proud of our staff and educators at RHS who have invested in their academic success,” said Brad Ray, principal of Russellville High School. 

“At Russellville School District, we are making great strides in the classroom and this recognition is a testament to the excellence we are achieving each and every day for students. Congratulations Hayden, Crawford, and Joy, and to all of Russellville High School! It’s a great day to be a Cyclone!” said Jeremy Keaster, president of the Russellville School District board of education. 

“Congratulations to Hayden, Crawford, Joy, as well as the staff and educators at Russellville High School. Achieving the recognition of National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist is an incredible honor and I am so proud of their accomplishments,” said Dr. Ginni McDonald, superintendent of Russellville School District. 

Semifinalists are qualified based on their performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). The 2022 PSAT/NMSQT® served as an initial screen of over 1.3 million entrants to the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. 

Daniel, Rash, and Skaggs will be recognized as Semifinalists in a nationwide press release and a complete list of Semifinalists will be sent to four-year U.S. colleges and universities. 

To become a Finalist, each Semifinalist must complete the National Merit Scholarship Application using NMSC’s Online Scholarship Application (OSA) and fulfill several other requirements. Finalists will be notified in February 2024.

Congratulations, Hayden, Crawford, and Joy! Go Cyclones!