Iowa Mennonite School senior Timothy Bender and Mid-Prairie High School seniors Hannah VanRoekel and Josh Gingerich have been named finalists for National Merit Scholarships. They join 15,000 students nationwide to make it to this level. IMS guidance counselor Dwight Gingerich says this is a huge honor and the school hasn’t had a finalist in years. The students had to submit their transcripts, course load, and be in the top one percent of SAT scores this year. The committee who selects the National Merit Scholarship winners will now look at their extra curricular activities, community service and personal essays. Scholarships will be awarded to 7,400 students across the country this year and the winners will be named in April.