Two Granite Bay High School students qualify for the 2015 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.
The U.S. Department of Education has released the list of candidates for the 2015 U. S. Presidential Scholars Program and two Granite Bay High School seniors were determined eligible to compete. Granite Bay H. S. seniors Maadhav Shah and Walker Knauss are two of the more than 447 California high school seniors and approximately 3,900 students nationwide to be named as candidates for the U. S. Presidential Scholars Program. Invitations to compete in the U. S. Presidential Scholars Program are based primarily on outstanding performance from either ACT Assessment or the College Board SAT scores.
U. S. Presidential Scholars Program
The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964, by executive order of the President, to recognize and honor some of our nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. In 1979, the program was extended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. Each year, up to 141 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students.
Candidacy is by invitation only
Application for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program is by invitation only or be nomination by the student’s Chief State School Officer based on outstanding scholarship. The next step for the nominated students is to start the application process where they need to write an essay for submission to the program. In addition, the students must work with one of their teachers, counselors or school principal to comment on the student’s academic performance, character and forward their transcripts to the program for review.
Selected scholars travel to White House
Approximately 560 candidates are named as semifinalists, and their names and supporting materials are forwarded to the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars for further review. The Commission then selects up to 121 Academic Scholars and up to 20 Arts Scholars to be honored during the National Recognition Program. Held in June, U.S. Presidential Scholars travel to Washington D.C. as guests of the Commission to meet with government officials, educators, authors, musicians, scientists and other accomplished people. Scholars are commemorated for their achievement by being award the Presidential Scholars Medallion at a ceremony sponsored by the White House.
Two Granite Bay High School seniors invited to apply
In addition to the two Granite Bay H. S. seniors invited to apply for the U. S. Presidential Scholars Program, sixteen other seniors from the greater Sacramento area have also been invited to participate. High Schools from around the area including the number of candidates include from each school –
| School | Candidates |
| Bella Vista H.S. | 2 |
| Davis H.S. | 2 |
| Dixon H.S. | 1 |
| Granite Bay H.S. | 2 |
| Hiram Johnson H.S. | 1 |
| Mira Loma H.S. | 5 |
| Oak Ridge H.S. | 1 |
| Ponderosa H.S. | 1 |
| Roseville H.S. | 1 |
| Saint Francis H.S. | 1 |
Download a list of all the nationwide candidates
- [wpfilebase tag=fileurl id=432 linktext=’2015 Presidential Scholar Candidates’ /]
U. S. Presidential Scholars Program Frequently Asked Questions