Local National Merit Scholar semifinalists named
Officials with National Merit Scholarship this week announced the names of more than 16,000 semifinalists in the 72nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program, including nine from Osceola County.
Gustavo Costa, Kyoungbin Lee and Avery Wilson of Celebration High School, John Crutchfield, Gavin Ramos, Sakura Takehara and Derrick Tayler of NeoCity Academy, Caitlyn Lungstrum of Osceola County School for the Arts and Jefferson Hsieh and Francesca Tamano of Tohopekaliga High have an opportunity to continue in the competition for about 6,700 National Merit Scholarships worth approximately $24 million that will be offered next spring.
Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2027. Every Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit® $2,500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis. About 700 corporate-sponsored Merit
Hope Partnership charitable partner of Celebration Columbia’s Community Harvest
Hope Partnership and Columbia Restaurants will partner to raise for the month of September. Guests can dine at any of the seven locations in Florida and request that a portion of their lunch or dinner checks go to Hope Partnership.
Diners can take part at Columbia Restaurant in Downtown Celebration at 649 Front Street by putting a check mark next to Hope Partnership listed on the ballot provided by the Restaurant server and give it to the server with their payment.
The restaurant calculates the 5% donation and provides the non-profit with gift certificates that can be used at any of the restaurants for up to 12 months. There’s no additional cost to the guest.
Now in the 29th year, the program has provided $4.8 million to Florida non-profit organizations.
“We are excited to be one of the beneficiaries again this year of the Columbia Community Harvest in September,” said Rev. Mary Downey, CEO, Hope Partnership. “We are grateful to partner with such a great organization as the Columbia Restaurant to help our neighbors experiencing homelessness and housing instability here in Osceola County.”
Hispanic Heritage Month Art and Essay Contests
The Florida Department of Education and Volunteer Florida invite Florida students to participate in the 2026 Hispanic Heritage Month art and essay contests. All Florida students—including public, charter, private, virtual and homeschool—may participate in contests based on this year’s theme, “Celebrating Florida’s Hispanic Heritage.”
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 through October 15 every year.
Students in grades K-3 are invited to participate in an art contest, while students in grades 4-12 participate in an essay contest. Additionally, students, parents, teachers and principals are invited to nominate full-time educators of all student grades for the 2026 Hispanic Heritage Month Excellence in Education Award.
The 2026 Hispanic Heritage Month Student Art contest is open to all K-3 students. Each student should submit one original, two-dimensional artwork based on this year’s theme. Four statewide winners will be selected, and each winner will receive a $200 gift card for school supplies.
The 2026 Hispanic Heritage Month Student Essay contest is open to all 4-12 students. Six winners will be selected: two elementary school students (grades 4-5), two middle school students (grades 6-8), and two high school students (grades 9-12). Each winner will receive a 2-year Florida College Plan scholarship provided by the Florida Prepaid College Foundation and a $200 gift card for school supplies.
Contestants must be Florida residents, attend school in Florida in grades 4-12 (including public, charter, private, home or virtual) and be able to provide a Social Security Number. Each student may enter only one piece of artwork or essay, written in English, no longer than 500 words.
Excellence in Education award winners will receive $2,500 from Volunteer Florida.
All entries must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. For more information about the contests and how to enter, visit www.FloridaHispanicHeritage.com.
