Upper School students were recently honored by Head of School Dr. Rodney V. De Jarnett and Principal Joseph Algrant, for their significant achievements in recognition from the National Achievement Scholarship Program and the AP Scholar Program.

A dessert reception in Hulst House was held to celebrate these students' accomplishments, which included the following:

Julio Crespo and Zachary Steele were named as Scholars in the National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP).  The NHRP was initiated in 1983 to identify outstanding Hispanic/Latino high school students. This year, the NHRP is recognizing nearly 5,000 students selected from a pool of over 200,000 students who took the 2009 PSAT/NMSQT and identified themselves as Hispanic/Latino and have achieved a minimum PSAT/NMSQT score for their region. Students with GPAs of 3.5 or higher are designed as Scholars.

The National Achievement Scholarship Program, conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, is an academic competition established to honor African American high school students. Bianca DiGiovanni and Zachary Hodges were named Outstanding Participants. They were two of approximately 4,700 high school seniors whose 2009 PSAT/NMQT scores are amonth the top 3% of more than 160,000 African Americans who requested entry to the 2011 National Achievement Program.

Students Julio Crespo, Minsun Kim, Katherine Lunt, David Popkin, Jeffrey Spingeld, Troy Singer, Amanda Turen, and Christopher Wikinson received a Letter of Commendation in the National Merit Scholarship Program.  Their high Selection Index score places them among the top 50,000 of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2011 National Merit Program by taking the 2009 PSAT/NMSQT.

Students recognized for their achievement within The AP Scholar Program included those who have received scores of 3 or higher on 3 or more AP exams: Nicholas Canelos, Kathryn Cooperman, Benjamin Glancy, Se Hun Kim, Hadar Naftalovich, Phillip Park, David Popkin, Jeffrey Spingeld, Amanda Turen, and Charles Jacobson.  Several additional students received AP Scholar with Honors distinction, given to those who received an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on 4 or more of these exams:  Bianca DiGiovanni, Sun Uk Kim, Katherine Lunt and Troy Singer.

In the words of Mr. Algrant, last but certainly not least students Minsun Kim and William Shinevar were recognized as prestigious AP Scholars with Distinction, which is granted to students who received an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on 5 or more of these exams. 

Both Mr. Algrant and Dr. De Jarnett spoke to the assembled group about the pride they should each have in these "tremendous" personal achievements, and how that same degree of pride extends to them from the D-E community as a whole.