Four area students named as Presidential Scholar candidates

Four Central New York high school students have been named candidates in the U.S. Presidential Scholars program.

They are:

Ben Parks, of Hamilton, a senior at Manlius Pebble Hill School

Andrew Lee and Erik C. Davis of Jamesville-DeWitt High School; and Emma Lape, of Fayetteville-Manlius High School.

They have selected by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and the Department of Education, are are among 3,000 candidates invited to apply to this year’s program. Application is by invitation only — students may not apply on their own or be nominated by their schools.

Each spring, the Commission selects no more than 141 Presidential Scholars — one boy and one girl from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other specified jurisdictions overseas.

The students are honored in Washington, D.C. in June and receive the U.S. Presidential Scholars medallion in recognition of their leadership, scholarship, artistic ability, and contributions to school and community.

In 2007, Tim Moon, then an MPH senior, was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar.