Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, April 17, 1990                   TAG: 9004140268
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV6   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

FIVE STUDENTS NAMED NATIONAL MERIT FINALISTS

\ Daniel Vernon Smith, senior at Auburn High, attends the Roanoke Valley Governor's School. He has competed in state forensics for two years and won the Beta Junior Achievement Award this year.

\ Jeremy Taylor Tyson, senior at Blacksburg High, plays percussion in the school's symphonic and marching bands. He also plays keyboards in the jazz band.

\ Karen Plaut, a senior at Blacksburg High and an exchange student to Heidenheim, West Germany, was junior class co-president and received a science and math research grant from Virginia Tech last summer.

\ Derek Andrew Poteet of Blacksburg High is senior vice president and competes in forensics team.

\ Lane Hatfield, senior at Radford High School.

Less than one-half of 1 percent of all high school seniors are named National Merit Program finalists. The program recognizes students who score high on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, taken during their junior year of high school.

Finalists will compete for 6,000 National Merit scholarships to be awarded this year.