Greenwich leads state with 14 Presidential Scholar candidates
GREENWICH — Of Connecticut’s 95 candidates to be Presidential Scholars, high school students identified by scoring exceptionally well on the SAT or the ACT exams, 14 come from Greenwich.
No other town or city in the state came close: West Hartford has six candidates and Darien has four.
More than 4,500 candidates across the nation were chosen for this component of the program. Eligible students are U.S. citizens and legal permanent U.S. residents who will graduate or receive diplomas between January and August and who have taken the SAT or ACT Assessment on or before the preceding October.
Eight of the 14 Greenwich candidates attend Greenwich High School. They are: Cynthia Chen of Riverside; Phoebe Hartch of Greenwich; Tobin F. Hirsch of Greenwich; Raina Jain of Riverside; Kira Y. Wang of Old Greenwich; Zachary Y. Wang of Cos Cob; Melissa Woo of Riverside; and Kyle Xiong of Riverside.
“We take great pride in the accomplishments of this group of students who have been identified in this nationwide recognition program,” Greenwich High Headmaster Ralph Mayo said in a statement. “They are hardworking, diligent individuals who continue to help our school and community set the standard for excellence in public education.”
Seven of those eight were also named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists for their performance on the PSAT. Four — Chen, Hartch, Zachary Wang and Kyle Ziong — have also represented the school’s math program across the state and in Washington, D.C.
Chen, Jain and Woo are part of the Honors Science Research class at GHS and have been named Regeneron Scholar semifinalists, and Jain is a finalist.
Hirsch was one of two students named the American Legion No. 29 Young Person of the Year, and founded a computer program that helps clubs boost their student participants. Kira Wang was a Laurel Girls State participant.
Woo’s older sister, Michelle, was selected as a presidential scholar finalist.
Other candidates hail from Brunswick School, Peter L. Lehrman of Greenwich; and Greenwich Academy, Laurel L. Pitts of Greenwich. Lehrman founded the Brunswick Conservation Corps, which gets students outside and helping with land conservation and management, and Pitts is one of three editors-in-chief of GA’s arts and letters publication, Daedalus.
“Peter Lehrman involves himself happily all around Brunswick,” said Douglas Burdett, Brunswick’s Assistant Headmaster and Director of College Guidance, in a statement. “Athlete, leader, and active volunteer, Peter makes this community proud on a daily basis in and out of the classroom.”
Head of Upper School Tom Sullivan said when people use the phrase “life of the mind,” they mean someone like Pitts.
“She’s interested in everything, she’s very funny, and her “fact of the week” is the most anticipated part of our school assemblies,” he said. “I’m thrilled to hear of her nomination.”
Rye Country Day School Upper School’s two student candidates are also from town: Jacob E. Oddi of Greenwich; and Aaron N. Serianni of Old Greenwich. Serianni runs cross country for his school.
Two attend boarding schools: Alexander Liu of Greenwich, who goes to Cranbrook Kingswood
Upper School in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; and Annabel R. Gerber of Greenwich, who goes to Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Mass. She is the co-captain of the girls’ varsity soccer team.
Of the nominated students in Connecticut, 69 attend public schools, 21 go to private schools and three are at magnet schools. One is homeschooled, and another is classified as “unknown.”