Fifteen Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) high school seniors have won college-sponsored National Merit Scholarships, bringing the total number of MCPS Merit scholars to 42 so far this year.

The local scholars are among 40 winners from Maryland and 2,600 winners nationally who were selected to receive the scholarships financed by colleges and universities. College-sponsored awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually and may be renewed to cover up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.

Previously this year, 19 MCPS students won $2,500 awards funded by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), and eight won corporate-sponsored scholarships.

The winners, intended career fields, and sponsoring institutions are:

· Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School: Mark F. Stewart, undecided, Carleton College

· Montgomery Blair High School: Neil Agarwal, life science, University of Maryland; Elizabeth H. Finn, molecular biology/genetics, University of Chicago; Kartikay Rikhye, finance, University of Maryland; Jonathon A. Zytnick, psychology, University of Maryland

· Winston Churchill High School: Robert S. Lu, medicine, Northwestern University

· Damascus High School: Robert M. Ricketts, University of Maryland

· Richard Montgomery High School: John A.J. Barkmeyer, undecided, University of Maryland; Kathryn Li, law, Rice University; Jeremy S. Kim, pediatrics, University of Maryland; Seth A. Samuelson, teaching, University of Chicago; Shuning Zhao, architecture, Washington University in St. Louis

· Springbrook High School: Reza M. Rock, chemical engineering, University of Delaware

· Walt Whitman High School: Sarah E. Halperin, psychology, Emory University; David H. Schraub, education/law, Carleton College

Students attained finalist status based on performance on standardized tests and in the classroom, recommendations, and a statement of goals and interests. Finalists were selected from about 16,000 semifinalists announced last fall. MCPS had 145 semifinalists in the program.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation will announce additional winners of college-sponsored Merit Scholarships in July.