The U.S. Department of Education has selected nine students at Jewish day schools in the United States as candidates for this year’s U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. Four of the nine are from the Washington, D.C., area.
The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, established in 1964 by executive order, honors some of the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. It was expanded in 1979 to include students with exceptional talent in the arts and again in 2015 to recognize achievement in career and technical education.
Up to 161 students receive the honor each year from a list of thousands of candidates nominated based on their SAT or ACT scores, or by chief state school officers and partner recognition organizations. It is one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students.
To date, more than 8,600 students have been honored.
Those from Jewish day schools on the list of candidates include:
- Jonathan Beyderman, of Yeshiva Tiferes Torah of Boca Raton in Boca Raton, Fla.
- Akiva Cohen, of Berman Hebrew Academy in Rockville, Md.
- Adam Daniel, of Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy of Connecticut in Stamford, Conn.
- Elizabeth E. Gabbay, of Northwest Yeshiva High School in Seattle, Wash.
- Ruby C. Kotok, of Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Gaithersburg, Md.
- Shira Listokin, of New Jewish High School in Newton Center, Mass.
- Nathan Szubin, of Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Washington, D.C.
- Hillel Wolkenfeld, of Berman Hebrew Academy in Rockville, D.C.
- Ari Yellin-Levine, of New Jewish High School in Providence, R.I.
