Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) is seeking assistance from his local high schools in making nominations for the Presidential Scholars Program. The Presidential Scholars Program was established by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964 and recognizes high school seniors on the basis of outstanding scholarship.

In 2015, The State Education Department Commissioner, MaryEllen Elia, will nominate twenty high school seniors – ten females and ten males – from New York to be considered for this honor. As you contemplate the selection of your nominees, it may be helpful to consider what attributes the student possesses which make him or her stand out as having outstanding scholarship and what special challenges or obstacles the student has overcome while still achieving high academic success. In making the selection, the Commissioner will consider involvement and service in school and community, leadership and character, writing samples, academic achievements, heavy workload, family responsibilities and extraordinary achievement or large hurdles overcome. The Education Department is also interested in nominations that describe how the student’s family, teachers, and administrators have better prepared him or her to succeed in college and career.

As a new component this year, in addition to those nominations, Commissioner Elia is asking for an additional student to be included as a candidate for recognition for excellence in Career and Technical Education (CTE). She will nominate up to five students in CTE programs, considering academic rigor, technical competence, employability skills, as well as ingenuity creativity and real world problem solving.

Please submit a letter of nomination (no greater than two pages each) for one female and male student as well as an additional CTE student candidate by September 25, 2015 to Assemblyman Fred Thiele at P.O. Box 3062, Bridgehampton, NY 11932 or thielef@assembly.state.ny.us. Your letter must include the student’s name, home mailing address and high school name and mailing address. Please note that eligible students include high school seniors graduating between January and August of 2016 that are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.

For more information about the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program and the Commission on Presidential Scholars please visit: www.ed.gov/psp.