16 MCS students qualified for U.S. Presidential Scholar program

MADISON– Sixteen students in Madison City Schools – eight each from both Bob Jones and James Clemens high schools – have qualified for the U.S. Presidential Scholar program.

In a “District Update,” MCS Superintendent Dr. Ed Nichols recognized these outstanding Madison students. “This prestigious group of students from across the state and nation included eight students from Bob Jones High School and eight students from James Clemens High School,” he said.

“Ultimately, only 161 students (in the United States) are named as Presidential Scholars. Madison City Schools has had several over the years,” Nichols said.

Bob Jones students eligible for the honor are Molly M. Halter, Sophia N. Johnson, Benjamin M. Landingham, Mary O. Miller, Katie T. Nguyen, Steven Y. Pan, Justin J. Roh and Edward Y Xiao. The scholar program has approved these James Clemens students: Yooyeon K. Hwang, Xin Li Lin, Urvi R. Mysore, Hanna Park, Sivaneyan Sezhian, Gavin L. Spivey, Manasa Vadapalli and Erik H. Wu.

Prestige is inherent with this national program, which is invitation only. A student can apply if program officials issue an invitation to request the honor.

An outstanding academic record and list of achievements need to speak for candidates to earn an invitation. Being recognized for this scholarship is a testament to the dedication and hard work that the student invested in high school and the self-imposed standards to reach.

In 1964, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed an Executive Order to establish the United States Presidential Scholars Program. The initiative’s goal was to recognize and honor some of our nation’s most distinguished seniors who are graduating from high school. In 1979, the program was extended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. Candidates have three main pathways to reach the status of U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. For the general pathway, which is the most common way, the student has achieved a high score on the ACT or SAT.

For the arts pathway, students have demonstrated academic achievement and talent in the visual, creative or performing arts. Students can choose to participate in related study with National YoungArts Foundation.

The Career Technology Education or CTE pathway requires nomination for candidates by their state’s Chief State School officer and show academic achievement in this field of study.

For more information, visit scholarships360.org.