Courtesy of Chuck Lionberger

Bob Cox, Va. Retirement Specialists; Julian Barnes, Roanoke County Public Schools Science Coordinator; Stephen Biscotte, CSHS Science Teacher; Drew Barrineau, Roanoke County School Board Chairman; and Nehal Thaker, ING Financial Advisers.

Stephen Biscotte, science teacher at Cave Spring High School is one of 100 finalists in the ING "Unsung Heroes" grant program. Biscotte won $2,000 to help start a new innovative a career development program he created called "The PIT Crew: Physicians In Training."

This program is designed to incorporate real-world experiences and career-driven assignments into the anatomy and physiology curriculum, giving students at Cave Spring High School a taste of what it is like to be a real healthcare professional right in the classroom. Components will include a book club with guest speakers, a chance to develop their own experiments, and an opportunity to access cadavers and university lab equipment to see what it is like to work in a clinical university setting. Each year, educators submit applications for an ING Unsung Heroes grant by describing projects they have initiated or would like to pursue. Each project is judged on its innovative method, creativity and ability to positively influence the students.

Each year, 100 finalists are selected to receive a $2,000 grant, payable to both the winning teacher and his or her school. At least one grant is awarded in each of the 50 states. Winners are selected by Scholarship America, a national non-profit educational support and student aid service organization.

Of the 100 finalists, three are selected for additional financial awards: $25,000 for first place; $10,000 for second place; and $5,000 for third place.

The top winner for 2009 was from Atlanta.

Suellen S. Li of Hidden Valley High School has been named a semi-finalist in the 55th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,200 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $36 million, that will be offered next spring.

More than 1.5 million juniors in about 22,000 high schools entered the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2008 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants.

The nationwide pool of semifinalists, which represents less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.

National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced in 2010.