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Plant, St. Pete High are tops in scholar semifinalists

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TBO.com

Published: September 21, 2009

H.B. Plant High led the way among Bay area schools in the number of semifinalists named to the National Merit Scholars program.

Local winners will compete with an estimated 16,000 students nationwide for some $35 million in scholarships through the program.

Plant High, at 2415 S. Himes Ave., placed 11 students on the list of semifinalists, released last week, followed in Hillsborough County by King High at 10, Sickles High at seven, and Hillsborough High at six.

Also making the list of semifinalists were students at eight other high schools among the 27 in the Hillsborough school district.

Among Hillsborough private schools, Berkeley Preparatory School has six semifinalists and Jesuit High School has five.

In Pinellas, St. Petersburg High had 10 semifinalists and Palm Harbor University High had nine. In Pasco, four schools had one semifinalist scholar -- Land O' Lakes High, and in New Port Richey, J.W. Mitchell, Ridgewood and River Ridge.

The Hillsborough School District said in a news release that the district had 53 students on the list, more than any other public school district in Florida for the second straight year. The Hillsborough district is third largest in the state.

Last year, the district had 62 semifinalists and Hillsborough High was in the top three among Florida high schools with 20 semifinalists. This year the top three schools were Stanton College Preparatory School in Jacksonville with 32, Eastside High in Gainesville with 26, and St. Thomas Aquinas High in Fort Lauderdale with 23.

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