Students from Bethesda high schools are among 21 recently announced National Merit Scholars who attend Montgomery County Public Schools, according to an MCPS announcement.

The latest round of awards brings the total number of MCPS students honored with the scholarships to 81.

The awards, sponsored by universities and colleges, honor winners with between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at their school.

Earlier this year, 60 MCPS students were awarded with National Merit Scholarships, including college- and corporate-sponsored awards, National Achievement Scholarships for scholastically talented African-American students, and National Merit $2,500 scholarships.

MCPS students account for more than one-third of the 209 National Merit Scholars in Maryland, according to MCPS.

The students who attend Bethesda schools awarded in the latest round include:

• Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School student Catherina L. Leipold, who will be attending the The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• Walter Johnson High School student Omar S. Agha, who will be attending The University of Chicago.
• Walt Whitman High School student Elizabeth N. Bartlett, who will be attending Vanderbilt University.

Congratulations!