19 students earn academic honors

Nineteen Sparta High School students have been recognized by the College Board’s National Recognition Programs.

They are Adrian Appelbaum, Natalie Bellush, Ling Lan Chen, Megan Chiesa-Rupani, Julia DiPasquale, Lauren Ellrott, Yahet Ferrer, Joshua Garces, Emma Hamilton, Julianne Handzus, Tyler Harms, Aarav Kamath, Rutuja Kirange, Zara Merold, Mackenzie Mongon, Elisabeth Riley, Talia Sanchez, Leonid Shabarov and Sneha Verma.

Colleges and scholarship programs identify students awarded National African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous/Native American, First Generation and/or Rural/Small Town Recognition through College Board’s Student Search Service.

The criteria for eligible students include:

• A grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

• PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 assessment scores within the top 10 percent of assessment takers in each state for each award program or a score of 3 or higher on two or more AP Exams in ninth and 10th grade.

• Attends school in a rural area or small town or identifies as African American/Black, Hispanic American/Latino or Indigenous/Native.

“This year, the National Recognition Programs are recognizing more students than ever so that the outstanding academic abilities of more than 90,000 deserving students are not overlooked as they plan for their future,” said Amy Reitz, senior vice president of BigFuture at College Board.

“We’re proud to support colleges and universities that are committed to supporting all students, and our program offers one way they can strengthen their recruitment efforts to students that will thrive on their campus.”