Five Seniors from the Academy For Science and Design Named As Candidates in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program

Five Seniors from the Academy For Science and Design Named As Candidates in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program
Posted on 01/24/2023
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FIVE SENIORS FROM THE ACADEMY FOR SCIENCE AND DESIGN NAMED AS CANDIDATES IN THE U.S. PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM


Nashua, NH - Five seniors from the Academy for Science and Design Charter School (ASD), a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School, were named as one of the approximately 4,000 candidates in the 2023 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program in an announcement made by the U.S. Department of Education on January 19, 2023. The candidates were selected from nearly 3.6 million students expected to graduate from U.S. high schools in the year 2023. The students are Agnieszka Calkowska of Hollis, Violet Fletcher of Greenfield, Brooklyn Furze (CTE Nominee) of Merrimack, Andrew Johnson of Merrimack and Jaden Tian of Nashua. ASD Extended Learning Opportunities Coordinator Amy Bewley shares, “The Presidential Scholar Award is one of the greatest honors a graduating high school senior can earn. These five young adults are ready to take on higher education with a sense of curiosity, passion, creativity, and tremendous work ethic. Our ASD family is incredibly proud of these students and we have the highest hopes for their futures as STEM innovators, leaders and compassionate members of a global society.”


Inclusion in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, now in its 59th year, is one of the highest honors bestowed upon graduating high school seniors. Scholars are selected on the basis of superior academic and artistic achievements, leadership qualities, strong character and involvement in community and school activities.


The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 by Executive Order of the President to recognize some of our nation’s most distinguished graduating seniors for their accomplishments in many areas: academic success, leadership, and service to school and community. It was expanded in 1979 to recognize students demonstrating exceptional scholarship and talent in the visual, creative, and performing arts. In 2015, the program was expanded once again to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical fields. Annually, up to 161 U.S. Presidential Scholars are chosen from among that year’s senior class, representing excellence in education and the promise of greatness in America’s youth. A distinguished panel of educators will review these submissions and select 600 semifinalists. 


Serving as both a public, open-enrollment middle/high school with a STEM-specialty focus, the success of the Academy for Science and Design is based on its commitment to engage a diversity of student learners at both of these levels through an exemplary structure for broadening student access to STEM-focused learning opportunities.  Accordingly, ASD’s program design is focused on providing early exposure to opportunities in STEM that younger students may be unaware of, and then encouraging and supporting those students as they pursue a highly personalized pathway to a specialized STEM field in high school. 


A separate admissions lottery for students entering fifth grade for the 2023-2024 school

year is currently scheduled to take place on March 29, 2023. Interested applicants are

encouraged to attend one of the scheduled information sessions in the upcoming

months. Additional details regarding the sessions and lottery can be found at

asdnh.org/admissions. 


For more information about the U.S. Presidential Scholars program, please visit www.ed.gov/psp.


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