jump to menu
Home » Resources » District News » G.I. Senior High School senior receives prestigious national academic honors
G.I. Senior High School senior receives prestigious national academic honors
Ben Robbins, a senior at Grand Island Senior High School, has received honors through three national academic recognition competitions.
Robbins is one of 250 finalists in the 2007-2008 Coca-Cola Scholars Program. He is one of 2,700 candidates in the 2008 Presidential Scholars Program, sponsored by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars. Also, he is a semifinalist in the 2008 Toyota Community Scholars competition.
Robbins has been invited to attend the Coca-Cola Scholars Weekend April 24 to April 27 in Atlanta, Ga. Fifty finalists will be selected as National Scholars and will receive renewable awards of $5,000 per year for four years of postsecondary study. The remaining 200 Finalists will be designated as Regional Scholars and will receive four-year renewable awards of $2,500 per year, a total of $10,000. All finalists who attend the weekend events are eligible for the scholarships.
The Coca-Cola Scholars finalists will be personally interviewed in Atlanta. They will also be honored at a banquet, participate in seminars, tour local landmarks, and participate in a community service project. More than 80,000 students applied for the award, and Robbins was previously one of 2,100 semifinalists selected.
The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars annually names up to 141 distinguished graduating high school seniors as Presidential Scholars. Each year, approximately 2,600 candidates are identified for the academic component of the program, based on having scored exceptionally well on the College Board SAT or the ACT Assessment. There are approximately 20 males and 20 females selected as candidates from each state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and from families of U.S. citizens living abroad. The majority of scholars are selected on the basis of broad academic achievement. Approximately 20 additional students are selected on the basis of their academic and artistic scholarship in the visual arts, the performing arts, or creative writing.
Approximately 500 students are named semifinalists. In April, the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars reviews semifinalists' applications and selects up to 121 Academic Scholars and up to 20 Arts Scholars. These students are honored in June in Washington, D.C.
In the Toyota Community Scholars program, finalists will be notified in April and invited to attend an all-expense-paid recognition event hosted by Toyota U.S.A. in May in San Antonio, Texas.
Robbins' parents are Vern and Kay Robbins of Grand Island.
For more information, contact: Dr. Kent Mann, Principal, Grand Island Senior High School, (308) 385-5950,
kemann@gips.org; Gwen Brown, Director of Guidance and Counseling, Grand Island Senior High School, (308) 385-5950,
gwbrown@gips.org
It is the policy of the Grand Island Public Schools not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, handicap, religion, or marital status in its educational programs, activities or employment policies as required by Title VI, Title IX, &Section 504.EOE/AA.