St. Pius X High School recently announced a spate of recipients of academic accolades.

The National Merit Scholarship Program provides opportunities for scholarships to outstanding students throughout the country who succeed in their studies and perform with excellence on the PSAT examination.

Seven students from St. Pius X were selected for the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Competition as semifinalists: Phineas Andrews (Atlanta), Mary Hildreth (Atlanta), Claire Homrich (Stone Mountain), Barbara Anne Kozee (Lawrenceville), Catherine O’Neill (Atlanta), Keefe Osment (Atlanta) and Amalia Pederson (Lawrenceville). In addition, seven semifinalists were named for the National Hispanic Scholarship Program: Jessica Aponte (Atlanta), Alexandra Barton (Atlanta), Alicia Guyton (Atlanta), Stephen Landry (Atlanta), Kassandra Solsrud (Dunwoody), Emilia Suarez (Decatur) and John Weber (Atlanta). Finalists for these scholarships will be announced later in the school year.

St. Pius X had 132 students named to the Advanced Placement Scholars’ list. Fifty-six of those students were named AP Scholars, while 27 were named AP Scholars with Honor. Another 41 students were named AP Scholars with Distinction. The highest level of achievement recognized by the College Board is the National AP Scholar award, granted to students in the U.S. who receive an average score of at least four on all AP exams taken.

Five recent graduates were awarded the National AP scholar award: Hannah Frame (Stone Mountain), John-Jordan Shockley Nunnery (Atlanta), Rebecca Ponce de Leon (Doraville), Quinn Rhodes (Atlanta) and Keller Sheppard (Atlanta). These award winners had an average of 4.7 out of a possible 5 on their AP exams.