The following individuals are Shelby County National Merit Scholarship recipients: Jack E. Feist, Indian Springs School; Mary S. Hodgin, Oak Mountain High School; Julia K. McMinn, Indian Springs School; Mallory K. Thompson, Oak Mountain High School; and Mary K. McGrath, Spain Park High School.

The National Merit Scholarship Program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. College-sponsored awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship. Over the past 55 years, more than 275,000 young men and women have won National Merit Scholarships totaling nearly $970 million.