Confused about semifinalists/finalists/winners for Dean's List and Woodie Flowers

[Andrea C.]

Sorry to be so dense about this. Our experience at our district event doesn't line up with what Mr. V described upthread for nominees and semifinalists, and what Mr. V said partly conflicts with what vhcook said. So I'm still confused.

Woodie Flowers nominees were announced at the beginning of our district event. I believe there were about 10-15 on the list. Woodie Flowers was not mentioned again at the end of the event during the awards ceremony, so apparently all 10-15 of these mentors go on to the District Championship for further consideration. It sounds as though vhcook is saying that these mentors are considered nominees all the way through to the District Championship, where only one of them will become a finalist, but that conflicts with what Mr. V said, that all enter district events as nominees, but one mentor emerges from the district event as a semifinalist -- which didn't happen at our district event. So I'm back to my original question: Are these 10-15 mentors considered WF nominees, WF semifinalists, or WF finalists at this post-district event, pre-District Championship stage? Is the field further winnowed at the District Championship to only one finalist for all of Michigan, as vhcook and Mr. V seem to agree on?

As for Dean's List, during the awards ceremony at the end of the District event, only one student from the 41 teams was named for Dean's List. He then ran down to the field for high fives from all the judges, just as teams do when they receive awards. Mr V said that two student nominees are named as Dean's List semifinalists at district events. Vhcook, on the other hand, said that all Dean's List nominees are automatically semifinalists -- but if that's the case, why was only one student from 41 teams recognized at our district event?

In either case, it looks as though the student on our team is now a semifinalist for Dean's List, eligible to potentially become a finalist at our District Championship. Do I understand that right?