Haines City IB students Leah Spann and Jacob Renuart were two of five Polk County Schools students recently named recipients of Merit Scholarship Winners by The National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

College-sponsored awards are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study at the sponsor institution and provide stipends that range between $500 and $2,000 per year. College-sponsored Merit Scholarship award winners are selected by officials at each college. The amount of the annual stipend is decided by the institution. Finalists who have been accepted for admission and have listed the institutions as their first choice by the required deadlines are usually given the distinction.