By Jay Sowers

The Selma Times-Journal

 

Charlie Ammons may be a young man of few words, but a recent honor hints that his future will be full of accomplishments.

Ammons, a senior at Morgan Academy, was named one of the few semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship program earlier this week.

Of the 1.5 million students eligible, Ammons is one of the 16,000 who made it to the semifinal round.

While being named a semifinalist is a great honor, Ammons said he hopes to be named a finalist when those winners are announced early next year.

“It would mean a lot, and I’m really hoping to be a finalist,” Ammons said. “I’ve already been honored with being a semifinalist, but it’s also nerve-racking because I want to go all the way.”

Of the finalists who will be named in the Spring, more than half of them will win a National Merit Scholarship, along with the Merit Scholar title.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance and was founded in 1955 to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

The program is underwritten by the NMSC with its own funds, as well as with money from 400 business and higher education institutions that share the NMSC’s goal of honoring the country’s scholastic champions, as well as promoting their pursuit of higher education.

Sheryl Schroeder, Ammons’ guidance counselor at Morgan said the importance of the honor could not be overstated.

“This is a tremendous honor,” Schroeder said. “This program is the grand-daddy of all scholarship honors. Semifinalist honors is already a big honor, and he’s got what it takes to be a finalist.”

Ammons’ mother, Reyndy Ammons, who teaches reading to fifth and sixth graders at Morgan, said she was excited for both her son and his school.

“I’m thrilled,” she said. “I’m very proud of him because this is a big deal for him and the school as well.”

Charlie, who has not made a decision on where he will attend college next year, wants to major in chemical engineering.