Polk County Public Schools is proud to announce our honorees for the 2023 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.
The U.S. Department of Education initiative recognizes high school seniors for their accomplishments in academics, the arts, and career and technical education (CTE). Each year, up to 161 students are named Presidential Scholars at the national level. It is considered “one of the nation's highest honors for high school students.”
Eligible PCPS students are those who are in good academic standing, who either score high on the SAT/ACT or demonstrate achievement in CTE programs.
Congratulations to our district winners for 2023: Belen Valdivieso from Lake Gibson High, and Cullen Wyatt from Lakeland High. They will represent PCPS at the state level for the Presidential Scholars Program.
We also congratulate these outstanding Polk County students named as finalists this year:
- Auburndale High: Meaghan Knowles, Tessa Mullis
- Bartow High: Jaime Rullo
- Bartow IB: James Barrios, Samantha Pattey
- Davenport High: Alexis Anstadt, Cullen Hughes
- Fort Meade High: Gracy Johnson, Dakota Newsom
- Frostproof High: Autumn Ellis, Morgan Luckey
- Gause Academy: Victoria Youngblood
- George Jenkins High: Tegan Baker, Kylie Hess
- Haines City High: Skyler Cabrera, David Scruggs
- Haines City IB: Sim Noelle De Jesus, Payson Keown
- Harrison School for the Arts: Susannah Braswell, Barbara Rosenkranz
- Kathleen High: Kiara Arce, Jensen Dix
- Lake Gibson High: Belen Valdivieso, Tavian Douge
- Lakeland High: Callen Mank, Cullen Wyatt
- Lake Region High: Alexander Cannon, Delma Zarate-Chaves
- McKeel Academy: Evan Ho, Joshua Santiago
- Mulberry High: Trent Hair, Ryland Stanek
- Polk Virtual School: Darcy Brooks, Makenzie Thomas
- Summerlin Academy: Benjamin Alfaro, Jadon Looney
- Tenoroc High: Arely Frias, Caleb Hudson
- Winter Haven High: Juan Rodriguez-Casarotti
“It's a true honor for seniors to be nominated by their schools for the Presidential Scholars program,” said John Miller, a PCPS curriculum specialist for Accelerated Programs. “These are remarkable students; they deserve recognition for their hard work and accomplishments.”
