Contact: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Monday, April 18, 2011

Fayette County Public Schools boasts a pair of seniors among Kentucky’s nine semifinalists in the Presidential Scholars Program, one of the nation’s biggest honors for high school students.

Victor Macrinici of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School and Madeline Mooney of Henry Clay High School have advanced on the basis of superior achievements, leadership qualities, personal character and involvement in community and school activities. The nationwide winners will be announced this spring.

The Presidential Scholars Program is a nonpartisan, public-private partnership designed to recognize and provide leadership development experiences. The scholars travel to Washington, D.C., in June for a week of educational, celebratory and fellowship activities.

The program was established in 1964 to honor the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. In 1979, it expanded to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts.

All graduating seniors who are U.S. citizens and have scored exceptionally well on either the SAT or the ACT are automatically considered for participation in the academic component.

The winners will include two students from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. students living abroad; as many as 20 students representing the arts; and 15 students chosen at large.

In the archives

• FCPS produces 15 of Kentucky's 53 candidates