From staff reports

Two students from Vicksburg have advanced to the final round of the National Merit Scholarship program.

Bradley P. Scurria, a senior at Warren Central High School, and Avery Burrell, a senior at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Ridgeland, are among 8,200 students nationwide in the running for three different awards — National Merit $2,500 Scholarship Awards, corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship Awards and college-sponsored Merit Scholarship Awards.

Candidates were chosen based on scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Bradley, the son of Phil and Cindy Scurria, is Warren Central High School’s STAR Student for 2009-2010. He plans to attend Louisiana State University.

Bradley is a member of the varsity football team, participates in Warren Central’s Quiz Bowl and belongs to Mu Alpha Theta, a mathematics honor society. He also plays percussion in the Big Blue Band.

Bradley is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church youth group and a member of Service Over Self, a volunteer home repair organization.

Avery, the daughter of Jack and Virginia Burrell, will attend Columbia University in New York and plans to study pre-med. She scored a perfect 36 on the ACT college entrance exam.

Avery is a member of the Vicksburg Swim Association and the St. Andrew’s swim and dance teams. She plays piano and has also studied jazz dance and ballet. She attended the Mississippi Governor’s School, a summer program for the academically talented, and has been a student representative to the Mississippi Episcopal Diocesan Council and a camp counselor at the diocese’s Camp Bratton-Green in Canton.

While in Jackson, Avery and her family attend St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral, and are members of The Church of the Holy Trinity, Episcopal, in Vicksburg.