Three Presidential Scholars Named from Exeter

Three students from Phillips Exeter Academy have been selected as semifinalists for the U.S. Department of Education’s Presidential Scholar program. Seniors Albert Chu of Exeter, N.H., Ethan Payne of Exeter, N.H., and Brandon Kaplowitz of West Windsor, N.J., were part of the select list of semifinalists that were released earlier this week.According to the U.S. Department of Education’s website, the Presidential Scholar program was established in 1964 to “recognize and honor some of our nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors.” Since then, the program has been extended to recognize excellence in not only academics, but also in the arts.From an academic perspective, students must score “exceptionally well” on either the SAT or the ACT, or be nominated by their Chief State School Officer. From the arts standpoint, students must have participated in the YoungArts program, sponsored by the National YoungArts Foundation.Widely known as one of the most prestigious honors for high school students in America, the Presidential Scholar program also retains a level of exclusivity through opening the applications by invitation only.The next round of selections will narrow down the list of semifinalists into a maximum of 141 seniors from across the nation that will receive the final honor of being named the 2013 Presidential Scholars.