SANFORD, Maine – Aislynn Worden, Presidential Scholar.
Worden, a senior at Sanford High School, joins the ranks of just 161 fellow seniors nationwide who are now members of the 57th class of United States Presidential Scholars.
U.S. Education Secretary Dr. Miguel Cardona announced Thursday that Worden and another young Mainer, Devon Hunter of Orrington, had been selected for the distinction.
“Basically, when I found out, I was in disbelief,” Worden said.
The scholarship honors seniors for their accomplishments in academics, the arts, and the fields of career and technical education.
“The 2021 Presidential Scholars represent extraordinary achievements for our extraordinary times,” Cardona said in his announcement. “I am delighted to join President Biden in saluting these outstanding young people for their achievements, service, character and continued pursuit of excellence.”
SANFORD, Maine – Sanford High School senior Aislynn K. Worden is a semifinalist in the 2021 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.
At the high school on Wednesday, Worden said she was surprised when she got the news last fall.
“I still am,” she added.
Worden is one of only seven seniors in Maine named in a recent U.S. Department of Education announcement about those being considered for the program.
She joins Harshini K. Chaganti, of Scarborough High School; Devon Michael Hunter, of John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor; Pedro Santiago Little-Siebold, of Ellsworth High School; Culiandra Rose Nero, of Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School; Swetha Palaniappan, of Cape Elizabeth High School; and Wade F. Wahlig, of Falmouth High School.
SANFORD, Maine – When it comes to the upcoming graduation of Sanford High’s Class of 2021, the goal is to have a commencement ceremony that is “as close to back to normal as we can get,” Principal Matthew Petermann said Tuesday.
That would mean a commencement at Alumni Stadium, this time on Wednesday, June 9, with graduating Spartans marching onto the field as their families and friends watch from the stands, with speeches given from the podium, diplomas handed out on stage, and the usual pomp and circumstance.
Even the starting time would be the same as previous years: 6 p.m.
“We want to give them something they can remember and walk away from and be proud of,” Petermann said.