Sarah Schrader, a high school senior who has attended Greenwood High School and the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science at Western Kentucky University, is among 141 outstanding high school seniors recently named 2011 U.S. Presidential Scholars.  Students selected for the honor have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership, citizenship, service and contribution to school and community. U.S. Presidential Scholars will be honored for their accomplishments in Washington, D.C., from June 18-21.

“Receiving this honor means that something more is expected of me from this point on,” says Schrader, who took second in composition at the State Governor’s Cup academic competition this year as a member of the Greenwood team. “It means that I must continue to strive for excellence, work toward achieving my dreams and, most importantly, use my successes to contribute something significant to the world.  This journey is not one to be traveled alone.”

The 141 U.S. Presidential Scholars include one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and from U.S. families living abroad, as well as 15 chosen at-large and 20 Presidential Scholars in the Arts. The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, appointed by the president, makes the selections. Schrader is the first Gatton Academy student to be named a U.S. Presidential Scholar.  

For the past 47 years, this prestigious program has honored more than 6,000 of the nation’s top-performing students. Of the three million students expected to graduate from high school this year, more than 3,000 candidates qualified on the basis of outstanding performance on the College Board SAT and ACT exams.