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14 Maryland high school students named at semifinalists for US Presidential Scholars program

More than a dozen Maryland high school students have a reason to celebrate — they were named semifinalists for the U.S. Presidential Scholars program.

Fourteen students have been named semifinalists, including 13 from public schools and one from a private school.

The list includes one student each from Anne Arundel County and Calvert County public schools, four from Howard County public schools, six from Montgomery County Public Schools, one from Washington County Public Schools and one from a private school in North Bethesda.

“We are unbelievably proud by the national recognition for our students’ academic, artistic and career and technical education accomplishments,” said State Superintendent of Schools Carey M. Wright. “These students are among the best and the brightest and we wish them well during the final round of the selection process.”

The program started in 1964 and honors top high school seniors in the U.S., with up to 161 students nationwide being named U.S. Presidential Scholars by the U.S. Department of Education.

Scholars are selected based on their accomplishments across many areas, including academic and artistic achievement, career and technical education (CTE) success, leadership and school and community involvement.

The finalists will be announced later this year.

The semifinalists are:

  • Anne Arundel County Public Schools: Nora B. Devine from Severna Park High School (CTE)
  • Calvert County Public Schools: Kayla Rae Jones from Patuxent High School (CTE)
  • Howard County Public School System: Nikhil R. Maddirala from Marriott Ridge High School, Advik Rai from River Hill High School, Chelsea I. Sun from Atholton High School (CTE) and Jayen A. Tolia from Reservoir High School.
  • Montgomery County Public Schools: Mayme Rose Killeen from Walt Whitman High School, Anya Frances Kleinman from Richard Montgomery High School, Cooper Liu Li from Montgomery Blair High School, Grace E. Li from Richard Montgomery High School, Sherry Lin from Richard Montgomery High School and Aditya Purohit from Richard Montgomery High School.
  • Washington County Public Schools: Ella Bryn Rechtorovic from Williamsport High School (Arts)
  • Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda: Joseph Michael Doherty

Ohio State trustees OK $100M settlement with hundreds of former students abused by doctor

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State University agreed Wednesday to pay approximately $100 million to settle legal claims from hundreds of former student athletes who said they were sexually abused decades ago by a doctor at the university. The school has fought lawsuits in federal court since 2018 brought by former student athletes against the university over its failure to stop abuse by Dr. Richard Strauss. Strauss worked at the school from 1978 to 1998 and also ran an off-campus clinic. He died in 2005. During a meeting Wednesday, the school's Board of Trustees approved a preliminary agreement with all but one of the 280 survivors with claims still involved in pending litigation. Once finalized, the settlement could mark the end of a lengthy legal battle and close a painful chapter in the school's history. “The survivors of the Strauss abuse are all Buckeyes, will always be a part of our family and our community, and I firmly believe that,” the school's president, Ravi Bellamkonda, said during the meeting. “We continue to be very grateful to them for their courage in coming forward, and reaching a final resolution is very important to us and is an important step forward.”
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